


You're All I Need

by brianmaybrianmay



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Blow Jobs, Bottom Steve Harrington, Breaking Up & Making Up, Developing Relationship, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt Billy Hargrove, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Smut, Top Billy Hargrove
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 13:08:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 36,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20760860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brianmaybrianmay/pseuds/brianmaybrianmay
Summary: To Steve Harrington, Billy was just another asshole who liked to push him around at school. After their history together, he figured his best bet was to just stay as far away as possible from the other boy. That was until strange notes started showing up in his locker, and Steve got himself into something he'd never imagined.





	You're All I Need

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!
> 
> this is the first fic I've written for the ST fandom so please be gentle, and it's coincidentally also the longest fic I've ever written - I'm just a sucker for these two boys
> 
> hope you enjoy!!

After everything Steve Harrington had been through in the last couple of months - between demodogs, the Upside Down, being brutally dumped by Nancy, having his face broken by Billy Hargrove, and a summer working at fuckin' Scoops Ahoy - he really hadn't thought it would be an apology and a pretty smile that would be the thing to send him over the edge.

They had finally started back in their final year at school, and if he was being honest? He was desperate to just be done with the place.

Back in their junior year of high-school, he'd been having the time of his life. He'd had a pretty girlfriend who he loved, he'd been the most popular guy in the school, he'd had cool friends, and he'd just generally been basking in all of that. Now what did he have? Okay, if he was being honest, it wasn't all bad. Despite the fact that they were all kids, the little nerds he hung around with nowadays were all pretty cool - even if he was pretty sure half the time that they were exploiting his friendship for the use of free rides in his car - and he had Robin now too.

He just couldn't wait to be finished with school - to be rid of Tommy and Carol and their smug faces whenever he passed them in the corridor, to be rid of their teachers who felt the need to constantly remind him that if he didn't really bring his grades up this year that it wasn't looking likely he would get to college, and to be rid of Billy Hargrove who seemed to have made it his life's mission to pick on Steve ever since their altercation at the Byers house a few months back.

It was whatever, he could take it, he just wasn't sure what he had done to Hargrove to warrant the constant torment. Sure, he had thrown the first punch in the Byers house, but he was pretty sure Hargrove had gotten his own back by breaking his face. He still had a scar cutting across his right eyebrow from that incident - Robin said it made him look badass, he was just pissed that there was actual physical evidence that he'd gotten his face beaten in yet again.

He was snapped out of his reminiscence of just how shitty his life was or wasn't by Dustin slamming his locker door, and he scowled at him for a moment. The nerds had all started high school this year, which meant that they had an excuse to follow Steve around the corridors and bother him for rides to and from the arcade - not that he minded really, but it did look a little pathetic that his only real friends here were Robin and a bunch of juniors who had just finished middle school.

"Jesus, what?"

"What's wrong, man? Cheer up"

"Yeah, no. 'Cause when I see your nerdy ass, it means I'm gonna spend the evening playing babysitter" He muttered, and okay he had the decency to feel a twinge of guilt at the look of disappointment on Dustin's face at that, "I'm sorry, I failed a pop quiz this morning"

Well yeah, they were only a couple of weeks back to school and he was already failing the damn pop quizzes. So like he'd said, the teachers were already on his back about it.

Dustin just frowned up at him, folding his arms. Okay Steve did feel a hint of amusement as well as affection at the kid's carefully styled hair - seemed he had taken his advice and had invested in a bottle of the Farrah Fawcett hair spray. He was a pain in his ass, but he loved him like a kid brother really.

"Alright, what's gotten you into this funk? You're usually like the cool older brother, and now you're totally raining on everyone's parade"

"What? I am not"

"Uh, yeah you are. Do you need us to find you a girlfriend?"

"No, Dustin, I do not need you to find me a girlfriend"

"What about Robin?"

"Come on, you know she's into girls"

"Well.. a boyfriend then?"

Steve smiled a little into his locker as Dustin spoke, that feeling of affection for the little nerd rising up in him again.

He'd been doing a lot of thinking over the last couple of months, after the break up with Nancy and everything. After he'd told Robin that he'd sort of had feelings for her and she'd turned him down because she was strictly into girls, it had made him realise that maybe feeling like that was okay. It was 1986 and they were in small town Hawkins, people weren't exactly the most open minded about that sort of thing.

Still, if Robin was brave enough to tell him that, then maybe he could be honest with himself too. He still liked girls, obviously, he just.. found he had a liking for the male form too.

Once he was certain that he was in fact bisexual, he had obviously told the kids. He knew they'd been a little taken aback at first, but he was glad that they'd warmed to the idea and that their opinion of him hadn't seemed to have changed. In fact, little Will Byers seemed to have warmed to him a little more ever since he had told them - he had his own suspicions about the kid, but obviously it was Will's business if he wanted to talk to him about that sort of stuff.

"Thanks, Dustin, really.. but I need to focus on school right now. I'm this close to failing out already and I need to get my grades way up if I'm gonna have any hope next year" He shrugged as he shut his locker again.

Well yeah, finals were at the end of this year, and then there would be college offers going around, and he was pretty sure that if he didn't severely fix his grades before the end of the year that he'd be back working at Scoops Ahoy for the rest of his life.

"Fine, offer stands if you change your mind though" Dustin teased with a wide grin as the bell rang, the two of them stepping away from the locker, "I know.. go on, get lost" He told him with a smile.

He watched the kid walking off to his class, hitching his bag up slightly onto his shoulder a little more before it dropped back down when he was roughly shouldered, "What now?" He asked, turning to see Billy Hargrove smirking at him from where he was leaning against the lockers.

He really wasn't in the mood for the asshole right now, but he had learned from experience that Billy was only likely to wind him up further if he let him know that he was bothering him at all. The easiest thing to do was try his best to ignore he taunting,

"See you at practice this evening, pretty boy?"

That was another thing, Billy for some reason always had to make sure Steve was showing up to basketball practice after school every day that it was on. Why, he wasn't sure, it was rare that he missed practice. Besides, he knew it was just so that he could rough him up a little out on the court, poke fun at him in the showers afterwards while Tommy cackled like a hyena. Jesus, he knew he and Tommy used to be friends, but he really couldn't stand the asshole nowadays.

"I'm always there, why do you have to check every damn time?" He asked, shoving his bag up onto his shoulder again. It was easier to just answer the damn question, hope that Billy would just take it and go,

"Well, couldn't have you letting me down now. Could we, pretty boy?"

He didn't really get that either. Anyone else would think Billy was flirting with him, whereas he was actually just being a massive asshole. A part of Steve wondered if he'd heard something around about Steve not being totally straight and had decided that was another thing he could wind him up about, but he wasn't totally sure.

Either way, he most definitely wasn't looking forward to basketball practice.

  
-x-

  
In hindsight, maybe it wouldn't have been the worse thing in the world if he'd skipped practice.

Still, he knew doing so would only let Billy know that he was actually getting under his skin, and he certainly wasn't about to do that. Besides, even though he was flunking his classes; basketball was the one thing he was really good at. There was a reason after all that he was captain of the team. It just so happened though that Billy was equally as good a player as him - if not more so - and the younger boy liked to show that off. Steve was pretty sure that the fact Billy was a hot-head who liked to shout was the only reason he wasn't captain now instead of Steve.

By the time he found himself in the gym after school, his day hadn't exactly gotten any better.

He couldn't find his biology book, even though he could have sworn he'd seen it in his bag earlier. He hadn't realised until he'd gotten into history that he'd left his finished essay at home - despite his protests that he definitely had done it and wasn't just making up shit. And then on top of all that, there was the thought looming that Billy was waiting for him at practice and was ready to kick his ass.

And just as he'd expected; Billy hadn't been waiting for him in the locker room - so he'd at least had time to change in peace - but he'd been there on the court as soon as he'd jogged out of the locker room.

He was pretty sure that Billy's favourite part of playing basketball was the fact that he was always called on to be on the skins team while they practised. Okay, so Billy was ripped, he could admit that much. It was just that the younger boy was totally aware of that fact - the few times Steve had seen him outside of school, he'd always had his shirts unbuttoned nearly all the way, or he chose to forgo a shirt underneath his leather jacket - and so he tended to flaunt that fact whenever he got the chance.

"Ladies and gentlemen.. the King has joined us" Billy said with a grin when he noticed Steve joining the rest of them on the court,

"Whatever, Hargrove. C'mon, lets play ball"

They waited for the go-ahead from the coach before starting to play, and the game surprisingly started off civil enough. Of course Tommy had decided that he was Billy's lapdog nowadays rather than Steve's, so it was no surprise at all really that he was at Steve, doing his best to wind him up. Steve was focused though, he was good at basketball and he was refusing to rise to the taunting. There was no way whatsoever that he was going to risk his place on the team because of a simple spat between himself and a few of his teammates. He wasn't quite good enough for a college basketball scholarship, but he was pretty sure he would actually go crazy if he didn't have this to busy himself with during the week after school.

Eventually though, it seemed Billy was tired of playing nice, and he crowded up behind Steve once his teammate Eric had passed the ball to him, "Come on, sweet thing, show me what you got" He teased with that trademark smirk that Steve was growing to hate. It infuriated him how Billy was able to hardly focus on the game while taunting him, that he was able to wind Steve up while playing without even breaking a sweat - and how he always seemed to come out on top too.

"I'm disappointed, you've still never showed me why they used to call you 'king'. I guess there's a reason you lost your crown, huh?" He asked when Steve didn't respond, and just like that - the pressure of him crowding up behind Steve was suddenly gone. The fact that Steve had been pushing back against him, plus the discreet elbow to the breastbone while he'd stumbled, had Steve crashing to the floor. Coach hadn't missed it though, and he blew his whistle at Billy who just held his hands up with a sheepish expression on his face, "Sorry, coach, my bad" He called with a simpering smile that Steve wanted to smack off his face.

He didn't pretend to help Steve up this time though, simply loomed over him while the older boy pushed himself back to his feet, "Gotta do better, pretty boy. What'd I tell you about planting your feet?" He asked with that same smirk, shooting a quick wink at Steve before he jogged off.

Steve simply sighed in frustration and rolled his eyes, jogging back to the game.

Once practice was finally over, he hung around afterwards - as he usually did sometimes, to help coach put the balls and equipment away. It was easier sometimes to just linger around afterwards, meant he could just run in for a quick shower after everyone else had gone home. Billy had a tendency to corner him in the showers too, all while Tommy egged him on from the sidelines.

"Hey, Steve, a word?"

It was while he was dumping basketballs into a bag that the coach called him over, and he jogged over once he had put the last one in, "Yeah, coach?"

"Look, I know you and Hargrove don't exactly get along"

"You could say that.."

"Don't let him get under your skin, alright? He's a cocky loudmouth but he's good player. But you're my best player, so don't even think of dropping off the team. New season is starting soon, and we need you, alright?"

Steve smiled a little as he listened to the coach, giving him a nod, "Yeah, don't worry. Didn't even cross my mind" He assured him. Well yeah, Billy was a pain in his ass, but he wasn't about to let him drive him off the team.

Still, it was nice to know that he was a valued member of the team - that the coach actually thought they'd be at a loss if he was to actually quit. Not that he'd been considering it, but it did make the thought of facing Billy at every practice a little more bearable.

  
-x-

  
After a quick shower - alone, thankfully - he rushed back out to his locker in the school just to grab a few books that he'd left behind as well as his car keys. He usually tended to leave most of his stuff in his actual locker during practice rather than the gym lockers, they were pretty shitty and the last thing he needed was for one of those assholes to steal his car keys or something. His Beamer was his baby, there was no way he was letting anything happen to it.

Yawning, he wrenched open his locker and quickly grabbed the books he needed from it, shoving his keys into his pocket. It was as he was pulling the last book from the locker that a note fluttered to the ground that had been caught in the book. Raising an eyebrow, he bent to grab the note - which he assumed had been shoved in through the small grate that all of the lockers had in the top. Opening the note, his eyebrows shot up to his hairline when he read what had been written in it,

_"I don't usually do this, but you looked good today"_

Okay, Steve was.. surprised. Who even wrote notes like that anymore? Well, he had left notes in Nancy's locker from time to time when they had been dating, but that was different, that was usually just him asking her to meet him somewhere. This was like.. a secret admirer or some shit like that.

He had to admit though, it was sort of sweet. The fact that someone had noticed him, thought he'd looked good, but had been too shy he assumed to just come up and say it to him. It wasn't like he was King Steve anymore, he was pretty sure he was probably the least intimidating person in the school nowadays, but still. He didn't recognise the handwriting though, which was driving him a little crazy. It was both messy and neat at the same time, if that made any sense at all, and he couldn't even figure out if it was a boy or a girl's handwriting.

Smiling, he tucked the note into his pocket as he shut the locker. Okay, so despite the shitty day, that had cheered him up a little.

He'd promised Robin he'd come over after practice, watch a movie or something and get dinner, so he figured he'd pick up a pizza on the way over to hers. Obviously he was going to have to show her the note, see if she had any idea who might have written it. After a short drive to Robin's - and a detour to the pizza takeout on the way - he got out of the car, dumping his bag in the trunk before walking up the driveway.

Robin was already waiting for him by the time he reached the door, and she grinned as she stood in the doorway for a moment, "Hey, dingus. What's on the menu?" She asked, and Steve flipped open the lid of the pizza box, "Chicken barbecue?"

"Approved, come in"

He followed her into the sitting room, the two of them collapsing onto the thick rug in the sitting room after she had turned on the television, "How was practice?" She asked as they dug into the pizza, and Steve just shrugged, "Fine, Billy Hargrove is still an asshole though". It was nothing new to report really.

He was pretty grateful for Robin actually. He'd met her during the summer when they had ended up working at Scoops Ahoy together, and it was only then that he realised they were in the same year in high school. After that, they had become close friends. Now he could honestly say that she was his best friend.

When he'd first gotten to know her, he'd had a bit of a crush on her, but she'd quickly shut down that idea by letting him know that she was into girls. So now they were just best friends.

"I uh, I found this in my locker though, after practice" He told her, pulling the note from his pocket. She took it with a raised eyebrow, a grin spreading over her face when she realised what it was after she'd read it,

"Is this what I think it is, Harrington? Do you have a secret admirer?"

"I mean.. that's what it looks like, I guess?"

"Look at you, getting back in the game"

"Well I'm not really, I have no idea who it is!"

"It's a start"

He wasn't sure it was though, really. Like he'd said, he had no idea who had written he note. He hadn't even noticed anyone hanging around his locker at any point during the day that he thought it could have been. So he had no idea really.

"It uh.. It wouldn't be Nancy, would it?" Robin asked, and Steve shook his head immediately, "I can guarantee you it's not"

Well yeah, he knew for a fact that there was no way it was Nancy. She had always thought leaving little notes like that was stupid even when they had been together. According to her though, he was bullshit, so he'd bet his life on it not being her who had left him the note. He could see Robin watching him with an odd look on her face though, so he sighed, raising his eyebrows in her direction as they ate their pizza, "What?"

"Are you disappointed that it's probably not Nancy?"

He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head, biting his lip gently, "No, I'm not actually" He answered her with a shrug. Well yeah, he'd been heartbroken when Nancy had first dumped him - mainly because she had been so harsh about it, he'd thought they were happily in love and then she had gotten drunk and called him and their relationship bullshit and said they could 'keep pretending like everything was fine, like they were in love'. He tried not to show how hurt he'd been by the whole thing, but it really had gotten him. Then to make matters worse, it wasn't long after that she started dating Jonathan Byers - he'd known there was something going on between the two of them.

He was okay now though, he'd come to terms with the fact that maybe he and Nancy weren't good for each other. She seemed happy with Jonathan too. So no, he really wasn't disappointed that it wasn't her who had left the note - that ship had well and truly sailed.

"Okay, good. No pining for ex-girlfriend's in my house"

  
-x-

  
The next day, he was a little antsy by the time he got to his locker, wondering if there would be another note left in his locker or not. It was fine if there wasn't, it was just.. it had been a nice little surprise yesterday. Whoever had written it had said that they didn't usually do things like that, so maybe it wouldn't become a thing.

He tried not to be disappointed when he got to his locker and found that there was nothing in it. Then again, he had left late yesterday, and it was still first thing in the morning, so maybe there was still hope.

He scratched a hand through his hair as he shut his locker, before glancing around when he was approached, "Hey, King Steve, you dropped something" Billy told him with that same stupid smirk he always wore, before slapping the books in Steve's arms to the ground.

"Nice, thanks for that" He muttered as he bent to pick them up, glancing up to see Billy still standing with his arms folded as he watched him picking up the books. He shoved them back into his locker, rounding on the other boy once he had slammed it shut again, "What the hell do you want from me, man?" He asked.

Billy just raised his eyebrows, his tongue darting out to wet his lower lip as Steve spoke, "What, I can't just enjoy the view?" He asked. It seemed he was just enjoying watching Steve getting wound up - which was exactly why he tried not to let Billy rile him up - but he just wasn't in the mood for his shit right now.

"Look, back off, alright?" Steve snarled, shouldering past Billy. He just.. He didn't get why he constantly chose to taunt him. They had beat the shit out of each other - okay so Billy had done more of the beating, but whatever - and so he assumed that that would be the end of it. He'd thought they'd gotten whatever shit they'd had with each other out of their systems. Clearly not though.

Billy just laughed, catching Steve's elbow as he passed him and dragging him back around to face him, "Oh, come on. Got something on your mind, pretty boy? Indulge me a little here"

Steve rolled his eyes, shoving his hands in his pockets, "I mean it, stay the hell away from me" He snapped again, dragging his arm out of Billy's grasp before stalking away from him.

He was surprised that the other boy actually let him go this time, although definitely very relieved. Like he'd said, not in the mood.

He just hoped that he'd be able to avoid him for the rest of the day, plus there was thankfully no basketball on after school today so at least he wouldn't have to face him then either. The kids were having some D&D campaign tonight though - little nerds that they were - and they had asked him to come. He'd promised he would, on the condition that he didn't have to play, and that they had until ten thirty before he brought them home.

Thankfully the rest of the day did go quickly enough without any more incidents, and he hated to admit that it had brought up his spirits a little when he'd quickly run to his locker between classes later and found another note stuck into the top of it,

_"I saw you earlier, you looked angry. I hope your day is going better now even though you look pretty when you're pissed"_

He couldn't help but smile when he'd read the note, even though the 'pretty' comment was a very Billy Hargrove thing to say. Still, it was whatever, he wasn't thinking about him right now. He quickly shoved the note into the inner pocket in his bag, where he still had the one from yesterday, before walking out to his car.

Dustin and Lucas were already there waiting for him by the time he got there, and he flashed them a quick two finger wave as he approached, "Hey, nerds" He greeted them, grinning when Lucas rolled his eyes at him. He knew Dustin basically idolised him, but that Lucas was a little more skeptical. Still, he was pretty sure he'd proved his worth to them when he'd saved their asses at the junkyard when they'd been attacked by demodogs.

"Mike is gonna meet us there" Dustin told him as the three of them climbed into the car, to which Steve shrugged. Fine by him, he lived closest to the Byers' anyway.

He was glad that they were going to the Byers' house tonight actually - Karen Wheeler had warmed to him a little since he'd basically become Mike's babysitter, but he knew it was always going to be a little frigid between them considering he'd dated Nancy. Dustin's mom was nice but she was a little overbearing at times, and he just didn't really know Lucas' mom that well.

Joyce had been through the same as the rest of them though. Worse, in fact, considering it was her son who'd gone missing and had been possessed by the Mind Flayer. She was kind and motherly, but she was so strong, and Steve found himself wishing his own mother was more like her. He'd never said anything about it, but she had seemed to pick up on the fact that his own parents weren't around much, she tended to mother him a little whenever they were over.

The drive there wasn't too far, and he let the two younger teens run ahead while he locked up the car. It was as he was climbing out of the car that the blue Camaro pulled up to the curb and Max hopped out - although Steve was surprised to find that she looked surprisingly less pissed off than she usually did whenever she was in Billy's company.

He made the mistake of letting his gaze linger on the Camaro after Max had gotten out, catching Billy grinning at him, "Hey, Harrington" The younger boy called, winking at him. Steve rolled his eyes but flicked him a quick wave regardless - just to acknowledge him, he wasn't a total asshole anymore. Seemed that was enough for Billy though, since the wheels of the Camaro screeched as he tore off down the road while Steve locked the car.

He followed the kids inside, smiling when Joyce met him in the hall, "Hey, Steve. How're you doing?" She asked with a warm smile, putting an arm around him and giving his shoulder a squeeze,

"Good, how're you keeping?"

"Fine, you looking forward to the campaign tonight?" She asked with a grin, and he huffed out a breath of laughter, rolling his eyes. He liked spending time with the kids, but he never looked forward to the campaigns. Mostly he just watched until he got bored and then hung out with Joyce, helped her make dinner or something.

"Hopper coming by tonight?" He asked as he followed her into the kitchen, watching her turn the kettle on the stove to make two cups of tea. Her boyfriend Bob had died in the lab that night, but since then he'd noticed her and Hopper had been getting closer, and he wondered if they would ever just admit that there was something going on there.

"No, he's working. He mentioned the applications to me again though, said I should tell you to really think about it" She said with a shrug. He'd fleetingly mentioned a while ago that it didn't look like college was going to be in the cards, and it seemed she had said it to Hopper, because the chief had pulled him aside one night that they'd both been there and told him that they were always looking for new police officers, and that the academy didn't require a college degree. He'd told him that he'd think about it, and he really had. He was seriously thinking on maybe taking him up on his offer too, once he had finished with school and everything. He still had no idea what he wanted to do with his life, but if college wasn't an option, then being a police officer was a damn good second option.

"I will, Joyce, I promise" He reassured her, before glancing around as the door opened again, Jonathan trailing into the kitchen, "Oh.. hey mom, hey Steve" He said, and Steve smiled back at him, "Hey, man"

He had to admit, he was surprised by the fact that he and Jonathan actually got along as well as they did. He was expecting them to always be at each others throats - considering he'd broken Jonathan's camera, they'd beaten each other up, and Jonathan was dating Nancy now - they weren't friends exactly, but there was a strange understanding between them. Maybe it was due to the amount of time he spent here hanging out with Joyce, that he somehow ended up hanging out with Jonathan from time to time too. He wasn't bitter over the whole Nancy thing, either. Her and Jonathan were better together than they had ever been, and he knew that. He wouldn't begrudge them that.

"I just gotta grab some stuff, I'll see you guys later" He said with a short wave before heading off to his bedroom, Steve assumed. He leaned against the counter once he had gone, accepting the mug of tea that Joyce passed him, "I told the kids they had until ten thirty that alright?" He asked her, picking slightly at a chip in the side of the mug,

"Of course it is"

They were silent for another moment or two before Joyce spoke up again, putting a hand on his arm, "Steve, sweetie, you don't need to wait for the kids to get together if you want to come over. You're always welcome here, I know your own house must feel lonely at times" She told him, and Steve just offered her a warm smile in response,

"I know.. thanks, Joyce

  
-x-

  
Sharp claws.. guttural screeches.. flowered faces lined with rows upon rows of sharp teeth..

Steve jerked awake with a gasp, clutching the sheets in his shaking hands.

Once he realised where he was, he relaxed a little, pulling the sheets off himself and dumping them on the floor - they were damp with sweat anyway. Goddamn nightmares.

Some nights were fine, he'd be totally fine and he'd watch a movie before going to bed and would feel totally refreshed the next morning when he woke up for school, and some nights were like this. Nights like these, he tossed and turned all night, and it wouldn't be long after he'd fallen asleep that he'd be violently woken by horrific nightmares.

He dreamed of the kids most times, of one of them being pinned down by a demodog while they screamed for him to help, he was never able to reach them in time. It changed though, sometimes it was Robin, sometimes it was Joyce. Either way, whoever it was always died, and he would wake up riddled with guilt as well as terror. He'd told Joyce that he got them, but he'd never told her how bad they actually were, he insisted that he was fine.

Rubbing a shaky hand over his face, he dragged himself out of bed and into the bathroom to splash some water on his face, looking at himself in the mirror as he did. He looked awful, if he was being honest, stark white with dark rings under his eyes. He was just exhausted. He figured there was probably no point in trying to go back to sleep now though, he'd only be back in this exact same position in about an hour anyway.

On that note, he grabbed the clean covers from the guest bedroom and dragged them downstairs, dumping them on the couch while he went to make himself a cup of coffee. Once he had done that, he dug out a movie - 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' would do fine - and switched it on before curling up on the couch with the blankets he'd brought down.

He found himself looking out at the pool through the window, rather than actually watching the film. The garden was dark obviously, except for the faint glow coming from the pool lights. He still didn't feel quite right about the pool, ever since that night Barb had disappeared, he hated the thought of that thing prowling around right out there. He hadn't really thought that it was on them at the time - despite the fact that Nancy kept telling him otherwise - but he felt awful about it now. Barb hadn't even wanted to come to that party he'd had, she had only come because Nancy asked her to. He should have done the decent thing and made sure the two girls got home safe, but he'd been more concerned with getting Nancy into bed. What was done was done now though, and there was no fixing what had happened.

Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair, trying his best to settle back down and switch his attention back to the film.

  
-x-

  
An hour of sleep wasn't exactly ideal before a long, shitty day of school, but he was doing his best with what he had.

He'd dozed off a little again last night while he'd been watching the film, but it was fitful and restless and he hadn't exactly woken up feeling refreshed. Still, at least it was bright out again. Not that he was afraid of the dark, he was basically an adult now, but he just.. the dark made him a little uneasy, so did the fact that his house was as close to the forest as it was. He wasn't afraid, he was just.. wary. He knew what sort of monsters lived out there. Or had lived, the Gate had been closed, they were gone.

Surprisingly though, he actually passed his pop quiz he'd had in geography this morning. Not just passed either, he'd actually done surprisingly well in it. He was still standing at his locker, staring at his test paper with the big red B+ on the top of it, trying to figure out if he was actually reading the grade wrong, when he noticed another note stuck in the grate of the locker. Test paper forgotten about, he pulled the note out and turned into his locker as he read it,

_"You always look so sad. Maybe it's your puppydog eyes, but you always look like you'd rather be anywhere else. I wish I could change that. I doubt I can ever tell you who I am, but I wish I knew how to put a smile on your face. You deserve that, you're beautiful and you deserve to be happy"_

He was surprised at the length of the note, the last few ones he'd gotten had only been a sentence or two long. He could feel his heart clenching a little though at the heartfelt words, it seemed whoever was writing them actually cared. If they were looking for just a quick lay or something, he assumed they would have made themselves known by now.

He wished like hell that they would give him some sort of clue, that he had literally anything to go on to try and guess who this person was. Back in the day, he was shallow as hell, it would have mattered to him who it was - whether they were popular, or a loser, or good looking.. now though, he was pretty sure he'd give whoever it was a chance. They obviously liked him, and he liked to think that he wasn't a total asshole anymore.

Still, he supposed he'd just have to keep on wondering.

  
-x-

  
If he was being honest, he was sort of waiting for things to go wrong, for something bad to happen - like for the gate to the Upside Down to open again, or at the very least for Billy to kick the shit out of him again. Maybe it was just his pessimistic way of thinking though.

Things were actually going pretty good at the moment. Billy was still bothering him in school and he was obviously still plagued with nightmares, but other than that everything was surprisingly okay. His grades were starting to come up a little and he was doing well at basketball, oh and he was still getting notes in his locker.

He still had no idea at all who could have been leaving the notes, but it was sweet, whoever was doing it. It just cheered him up a little sometimes when he was feeling low. Robin teased him about it, but he knew she thought it was sweet too.

Speaking of which, he was standing at his locker at the moment, smiling a little as he read the note that had been wedged down into the grate that afternoon. Some of them were long and thought out, some of them were only a few words long.. this one was short and sweet,

_"I really like you, I wish I could tell you who I am"_

He honestly did look forward to the notes, and while he had no idea who exactly it could be - he had at least come to the conclusion that it was a boy. There had been one memorable one the other day, which had insinuated that whoever was writing them had wanted to bend him over and fuck him into next week. So unless there was some girl at school who was into some kinky shit, he was going with the assumption that it was a boy. It was nice though, and he agreed with today's note; he wished whoever it was could tell him who he was.

"Hey"

He startled a little at the voice to his right, closing the locker over slightly to reveal Nancy behind him, "Hey, sorry, you scared me"

"You want to go for a walk?" She asked, looking up at him with doe eyes that rivalled his own - his were still prettier though, he'd insist that until the day he died.

"Sure"

He shoved the note in his pocket and shut his locker, following her outside. They simply walked in silence for a few minutes, his hands in his pockets, hers clutching the strap of her bag.

"You look happy"

He glanced down at her as she spoke to find her smiling up at him, and so he gave her a small smile in return, "I am, I guess. I mean.. I still have nightmares, but I'm okay apart from that" He told her with a shrug. Well yeah, he was actually doing pretty okay at the moment

"Are you seeing someone?"

"No.. well, uh.."

Instead of trying to explain, he simply pulled the note out of his pocket, handing it over to her. She raised an eyebrow as she read it, looking back up at him, "I don't know who it is, but it's not the first note he's written. He's been doing it a while, but it's sweet"

"He?"

"Pretty sure it's a he"

She was quiet for a moment as she processed this. There weren't many people that knew he was bisexual - pretty much just Robin and the kids - but it wasn't like he had anything to prove to her, plus he was pretty sure she wasn't the kind to spread that information around, she'd probably tell Jonathan but he guessed that was it.

"Well I hope you figure out who he is" She told him with a small smile, and he couldn't help but smile back.

They lapsed back into silence after that, strolling slowly along the footpath that ran along with the running track. He was glad to know that they were on good terms still now that the dust had settled a little. They hadn't really been around each other much since they'd broken up, and then there had been the Upside Down to deal with and then getting back to school, so this was really the first time they had just hung out.

"Steve, look, I.. I'm sorry"

"For what?"

"For all those horrible things I said. You're not bullshit. You're a good person, you're great with the kids, and you deserve better than all that. If you find out who it is that's writing you those notes, you better make sure you let him know that you're a catch" She told him, and he couldn't help but smile, pulling her in for a hug.

"Thanks, Nance, I appreciate that. You and Jonathan are better together anyway"

  
-x-

  
The ball had finally dropped a little.

He'd been convinced that things were getting a hell of a lot better, but now after the fourth night in a row of waking up with his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, his heart racing, he decided there was no point in simply lying where he was, trying to will himself back to sleep.

Tonight it was Dustin who died in his dream. It was awful every time it happened, and he decided now that he'd had enough. So he was going for a fuckin' drive.

Considering it was twenty past four in the morning, he wasn't exactly expecting anyone else to be at the quarry when he got there, and he was relieved to see that he was right. After pulling the car in as close as he dared to the edge, he got out, sitting up on the hood and lighting a cigarette. It was a nice enough night out, the edges of the horizon just starting to turn pink.

He wasn't sure why it was taking him so long to bounce back from this. The kids all seemed to be fine, and not that he'd talked to Nancy as much lately - except for that talk they'd had the other day - but he was pretty sure both her and Jonathan were doing okay. He was pretty sure that Will was the only one who was doing just about as well as him, and with good reason. Will had obviously been through horrors that the rest of them could barely even imagine, so it was understandable why the kid would be a left a little traumatised over the whole thing. The worst thing that had happened to Steve had been the run in with Billy, so he obviously felt a little pathetic about the fact that he hardly slept nowadays without his subconscious making him relive everything that had happened.

As if on cue, just as he was pondering over the events of that evening, he glanced around behind him at the sound of an engine approaching. He assumed that it was probably Hopper or one of the other officers coming to check out what the hell he was doing parked up here, although he rolled his eyes when he recognised the blue Camaro pulling up beside him. Great, just what he wanted to deal with right now.

Fuck it, he wasn't about to hang around and be harassed by Hargrove right now.

He got up from the hood just as Billy cut the engine, walking around to the front of his car. Just as he was opening the drivers seat door though, he glanced over at the Camaro and frowned when he saw Billy. The younger boy looked like he had no interest in even speaking to him, and he was busying himself with trying to stick a butterfly bandage over the nasty split on his cheekbone. That wasn't the only injury he seemed to be nursing though - the skin around his eye was bruised and he had a split lip, he also seemed to be holding himself somewhat awkwardly in the car.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Billy startled a little as Steve spoke, as though he hadn't even been aware that Steve was there. The surprise on his face quickly disappeared though and he turned back to the task at hand, although Steve didn't miss the fact that his cheeks coloured a little, "Nothing, Harrington, none of your fuckin' business" He muttered, and Steve found it hard to ignore the way Billy's voice trembled a little as he spoke.

Steve sighed as he pulled open the drivers seat door, ignore the murderous glare Billy shot his way, "What gives, Harrington?"

"Get out"

Billy continued to just look up at him, so Steve rolled his eyes, holding out his hand for the butterfly bandages, "You're making a mess of that, get out and I'll help" He told him. Well yeah, despite the fact that they weren't exactly friends - they didn't even like each other - Steve did pride himself on the fact that he was a better person now. He had had a long hard look at himself, realised that he was a total asshole, and so had decided to do better. Billy was obviously hurting, so it wasn't like he was going to just drive off and leave him here.

Billy eventually did as he was told, getting out of the car and leaning against the side of it while Steve took the bandages and the paper bag of other first aid supplies that Billy had brought with him. He gently cleaned the cuts on his cheek and eyebrow, sticking a butterfly bandage on his cheek, "Are you sure you don't wanna get that one seen to? Looks nasty" He murmured once he had finished, glancing over at the younger boy.

He wondered what had happened, this didn't seem like a few of the other times where Billy had come into school proudly showing off his bruises - the sign of a fight he'd won. This was.. the younger boy seemed actually hurt, and not just physically.

"It's fine.. I'm, it doesn't matter" He muttered, his eyes not quite meeting Steve's, who couldn't help the wave of concern that washed over him.

"Are you sure? 'Cause it doesn't look like you're fine"

"I said I'm fuckin' fine"

There was silence after Billy snapped, Steve putting his hands in his pockets as he looked over at the younger boy. He seemed to be brimming with something, although Steve wasn't sure if it was anger or hurt or some sort of mix of the two.

"You want a smoke?" He asked, offering the packet. Billy considered him for a moment before he nodded and the two of them walked back around to the front of the car, sitting up on the hood. They smoked in silence for a few minutes, both of them watching as the sky slowly turned to a lighter pink than the dark of the night. Steve wasn't sure how long they both sat there, one of them taking a new cigarette every now and again until Billy eventually spoke up,

"My father hates me"

Steve glanced in his direction, noticing how Billy was resolutely avoiding his eyes. He could tell by his demeanour, the way he was holding himself, that it was taking everything in him to not bolt straight away. It was this that had Steve carefully considering his next words, "Did he do this to you?" He asked, and Billy sighed and nodded,

"I lost track of time and forgot to pick Max up, the kid walked home. I got home and Neil laid into me, 'respect and responsibility' and all that crap"

He still wasn't looking at Steve, and the older boy sighed as he dropped his own gaze back down to his half smoked cigarette, "My dad isn't quite that bad.. he's never hit me, but I think he'd be happier if I didn't exist" He could see Billy looking up at him from the corner of his eye, but he simply continued talking, "My mom isn't as bad.. she calls at least, but she still goes with dad when he goes off on his business trips, I haven't seen either of them in.. four weeks"

He glanced back in Billy's direction, seeing that the younger boy was still looking at him, an odd expression on his face, "Your mom?" He asked, while he had Billy's attention. He knew that Susan wasn't Billy's mom, that he and Max were only step-siblings. Billy sighed a little, bringing a hand up to scratch at his hair, "She uh.. she's not around. She decided to split when Neil got a little too friendly with his fists, but she obviously couldn't just take me and run. She left anyway"

Steve was a little floored honestly. He couldn't really imagine how that had to feel. At least his mother made somewhat of an effort, she called him regularly when they were away just to check up on him, make sure he was doing okay. She wasn't around much, but at least she cared a little. It would be different if Billy's mother was dead, he couldn't imagine how it must feel to know that she was out there and that she didn't care, that she had left him here with Neil.

"I'm sorry"

"Don't. I don't want your pity"

"I know, but I'm sorry anyway"

They lapsed back into silence after that, Steve offering Billy another cigarette when he noticed that he'd finished his. The sky was turning a brighter orange now. Steve had forgotten his watch when he'd left earlier, but he was pretty sure it was after five in the morning now.

"About that night.. at the Byers' house. It wasn't about you, Neil had been at me that night when I didn't know where Max was. He shoved me into a shelf and smacked me, told me to go find her" Billy glanced up at him, biting his lip gently. He seemed to be having difficulty trying to get out what he was trying to say, but Steve could sense the determination in him too,

"I'm not the one with the problem, it's Neil. Max is a little bitch sometimes but she's still my sister, and if Neil caught her with the Sinclair kid then he'd kill him. Like, actually kill him. I don't have a problem but it's better for both their sakes if she stays away from him. So, I'm sorry, I guess. I'm an asshole, but I know I took it too far that night"

"Look, I'm not the one you should be apologising to. I've had the crap kicked out of me before, but you scared the shit out of those kids that night. They've been through enough, so if you're really sorry about it then apologise to them, not me. Especially Lucas"

Billy just looked at him, a slight frown creasing his forehead - although Steve got the feeling he wasn't disagreeing with him, per se. He was surprised that Billy had even apologised, being honest.. the younger boy showed off and paraded around, but this was the most genuine Steve had ever heard him being, and it had thrown him off a little.

"Look, I get it" Steve murmured when Billy still hadn't said anything, "I know my dad isn't as bad as yours, but I get it. I get being angry all the time because of him, because you see other kids dad's being proud of them and taking an interest" He told him, biting his lip gently as he looked at Billy from under his fringe. Like he'd said, his own father had never actually hit him, but they didn't exactly have a good relationship.

Billy eventually sighed, rubbing his face, "I will.. I'll apologise to them"

Steve could only smile, a sense of relief flooding through him.

  
-x-

  
It was barely past first period - meaning Steve was barely past the threshold of still basically being asleep - when Dustin barrelled into him in the corridor.

He'd been ambling through the halls with Robin, chatting about a party that was on next week and whether or not they were gonna go - Steve was leaning towards going, because fuck it, why not? - when he found himself thrown aside slightly by the little nerd who was pulling at the sleeve of his sweater,

"Jesus, Henderson, what?" He asked, pulling his sleeve out of the younger boy's grasp. What, his sweater was expensive, he didn't want it stretched,

"Steve, you gotta come. It's Billy, he's talking to Lucas!"

"...What?"

"We were having a discussion about Lord of the Rings.. I'll fill you in on the details later--"

"Can't wait.."

"Whatever, and Billy came up to us and pulled Lucas aside and said he wanted a word with him, you have to do something!"

There was the smallest part of Steve that was worried Billy was about to kick Lucas' ass, but he was trying to have faith - however misplaced it might be - in the other boy, and that he'd meant it when he said that he'd apologise to Lucas. Okay so he'd said that he needed to apologise to all of the kids, but baby steps, Lucas was the one he'd threatened to kill anyway.

"Okay, man, you need to calm down. Even if Billy was planning on kicking Lucas' ass, how am I supposed to save the day without getting my own and all of our asses kicked?" He asked, well yeah.. look how well it had gone last time when he'd tried to play the hero when Billy was involved, "Besides.. I talked to Billy the other night. I'm pretty sure he wants to change, he said he was gonna apologise to you guys for that night"

"And you believed him?!"

"He apologised to me too.. I think he meant it"

"And you believed him?!" Dustin repeated, although he was more screeching at this point rather than talking at a level that was acceptable for not even ten in the morning. Steve had a feeling he wasn't going to get anywhere with Dustin until he at least checked the situation out, but like he'd said; he was pretty sure he'd be no help anyway if things did go south.

Sighing, and throwing a despairing look in Robin's direction, he eventually nodded at the kid, "Alright, c'mon"

He let Dustin lead him through the corridors towards the AV room, where he could make out Billy and Lucas talking just outside - Billy's hands in his pockets and Lucas looking decidedly nervous. He could see the other kids too, the picture of subtlety of course as they stood and watched.

The two seemed to have just finished their talk as Steve approached, Dustin hanging back with the other kids, and Billy caught the older boy's gaze as he walked off. Steve watched him go, biting his lip gently, before turning back to Lucas who was looking a little dumbstruck,

"What happened?"

"He.. apologised"

Steve turned to Dustin and raised his eyebrows, waving a hand in Lucas' direction, "See! I told you there was nothing to worry about" He groused, before slapping a hand lightly on Lucas' shoulder.

He couldn't help but feel a slight warmth blooming in him though, at the fact that Billy hadn't actually been full of shit, that he'd kept his word and had apologised to Lucas. He wasn't sure how good his apology actually was, but it was a start.

It was some sort of proof that maybe the younger boy did want to change.

"What the hell is he playing at?" Steve could hear Mike asking as he walked off, meeting Robin around the corner, who was leaning against the row of lockers there with a shit eating grin on her face - the kind that made Steve nervous,

"What?" He asked, and she simply held out her hand where a folded up note was sitting, "Not to pry, but this was sticking out of your locker" She told him with that same grin.

He snatched the note from her hand, raising an eyebrow at the contents,

_"Thank you.."_

"Thank you? Thank you for what?" He asked, and she just shrugged,

"You tell me"

"I have no idea what this is about"

He frowned as he looked down at the note, the handwriting the same neat cursive that he was so familiar with by now. He had no idea what he was being thanked for, he didn't even know who was writing him the notes; so he wasn't sure what the hell he could've done that was worth thanking him over. It was strange was all.

"So you've clearly talked to whoever it is.. or you've done something for them"

"Apparently so.. nothing comes to mind though"

Robin rolled her eyes, grinning as she dragged him along by the arm, "Come on, dingus. Rack your brain while we walk to class"

  
-x-

  
The rest of the day passed in pretty much the same fashion, he was terrorised a little more than usual by the kids though, over what Billy's real intentions were, why Steve had even been talking to him in the first place. They were good kids and he loved them, he just.. God, they drove him crazy sometimes.

He was still thinking about the note though, about what the hell he could have done to warrant the thank you. Literally nothing came to mind, nothing he could think of that made sense.

"Hey, Harrington!"

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Billy calling him, and he rolled his eyes as he turned on the younger boy, "What?" He asked with a sigh. Okay, so Billy had kept his word and had apologised to Lucas, but it wasn't like he and Steve were miraculously friends now or anything. He was still expecting this to be a chance for Billy to pick on him.

When he turned back to the other boy though, his body language wasn't aggressive in the slightest. He was simply holding out a piece of paper to him, "You dropped this" He told him, and Steve patted his pocket where he'd shoved the note from his locker, only to find it missing.

"Uh.. thanks, man" He murmured, taking the note back. He didn't miss how Billy jerked his hand back quickly when their fingers brushed though, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

Despite the fact that that should have been the natural conclusion to the conversation, Billy still stood there, hands in his pockets as he watched Steve - who couldn't help but notice the slightly embarrassed look on Billy's face,

"Are y--"

"I like your sweater" Billy blurted out, taking off down the corridor again once he had spoken.

Steve simply frowned after the other boy as he watched him go, before looking down at the sweater that he was wearing. It was soft, teal coloured, and the sleeves were a little too long for his hands - so pretty much exactly the opposite of anything he could ever picture Billy wearing.

Well then, that was odd.

  
-x-

  
Friday night came, and Steve had decided he was going to go to the party. Why the hell not, right? Besides, it wasn't like it was Tommy's party or anything, he actually got along rather well with Heather - even if he wouldn't consider them actual friends. Either way, he'd agreed to go to the party and Robin had agreed to go with him. He was pretty sure Nancy and Jonathan had said they would make an appearance too.

"So, what if Hargrove is there?" Robin asked from where she was lounging on his bed, and Steve rolled his eyes,

"So what if he is? I'm sure Tommy and Carol will be following after him like lost puppies anyway" He answered her with a shrug.

Okay, so he wasn't entirely sure what the hell was going on with Billy at the moment. Ever since they had talked that night at the quarry, Billy seemed to have lost some of his mean streak. He didn't pick on him in the corridors anymore, any confrontations they had on the basketball court was all just part of the game, and the few times they had run into each other apart from all of that.. he'd actually been pretty nice to him.

As well as that, he'd actually apologised to the other kids too, which meant a hell of a lot.

"He's been nice to you lately, d'you not think it's a little weird?"

"It's weird, yeah, but I'm not complaining"

He was starting to regret inviting Robin over to get ready for the party together - mainly because she had been ready in twenty minutes, and it had taken him nearly that long just to do his hair. He was still in the process of picking out an outfit, having already changed twice.

In all honesty though, he wasn't really sure what the situation was going to be like if Billy was there tonight. Last time they had really seen each other at a party was the Halloween one last year, when he and Nancy had still been together and before all the shit at the Byers' house had gone down between himself and Billy. He wasn't sure if their somewhat truce would still apply, or if Billy would challenge him to another keg stand and then stare him down until he slunk off with his tail between his legs.

Pulling off the shirt he was wearing and swapping it out for a black denim shirt over a white t-shirt, he turned to Robin with his arms spread, "Well?"

"You look great, like you did two shirts ago. We're gonna be late"

  
-x-

  
When they finally arrived to the party, it was in full swing. Thankfully Heather lived close enough, so they had decided to just walk rather than either of them driving - meant nobody had to be on designated driver duty, "C'mon, I could use a drink"

It didn't take them long to find Nancy and Jonathan, who had been lingering around the punch bowl with Josh - he was pretty sure - from their math class. He tried not to think of what Nancy had gotten like last time she had been unsupervised around a punch bowl - actually, she hadn't even been unsupervised, he'd tried to tell her that maybe she'd had enough to drink. Either way, that was the night she had spilled the punch all down the front of her white blouse and had then called him and their entire relationship bullshit. It wasn't a night he liked to dwell on.

"Hey, you guys been here long?" He asked them with a smile as they approached the pair,

"Hey, man. Not long, half hour or so" Jonathan told them as he poured them both a cup of punch and handed them over. "We would have been here sooner, but princess here insisted on a couple of outfit changes and had to do his hair" Robin inputted with a shit eating grin, drawing a laugh from the other pair, which Steve just rolled his eyes to.

The party was fun actually, he had to admit. The last Halloween party they had been to together had been a bit of a disaster, but everyone seemed to be in better form tonight. He tried his best to wingman Robin when she got chatting to Heather, and he was glad to see that Nancy wasn't drinking away her sorrows like she had at the last party - she seemed to be actually enjoying the night.

Not too much longer, he excused himself for a smoke, picking his way through the other people gathered in the house to make his way out to the garden. He wasn't even that desperate for a cigarette, it was more just for the fresh air. The house was pretty packed inside, and it just.. it made him antsy. He was as drunk as anyone else that was in there, it was just.. it was probably because of how packed it was inside, or how warm it was getting with that many drunk people crammed inside. Either way, he could do with some air.

He found himself outside on the decking, leaning against the rail with his box of Marlboro in his hand. Now that he was out here, he found himself barely even wanting a smoke.

He was enjoying himself actually, it was nice to just take a break from worrying about school, worrying about his nightmares and the Upside Down. God he felt awful for even thinking it, but it was nice to have a break from the kids too. He loved the little shitheads like they were his own kids, but it was kinda nice to just spend the evening with people his own age, to just get drunk and not have to worry about getting them home safe or anything.

"That you Harrington?"

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a familiar voice, and he turned to see Billy stepping out onto the decking too. "Yup" He shrugged in response, trying not to think of how familiar this situation was between the two of them. Somehow though, he had a feeling Billy wasn't going to beat him to a pulp this time.

He could see the younger boys eyes flick down to his still unopened pack of cigarettes, and he was pretty sure he was wondering what he was doing out here if not smoking. He wasn't sure himself even, he was just.. chilling, he guessed.

"You want to share a joint?" Billy asked, pulled an already rolled joint from his jacket pocket. Steve hadn't exactly expected that, but he certainly wasn't gonna say no, "Sure" He shrugged, coming to stand next to Billy against the rail along the decking.

He watched the younger boy lighting up the joint, taking a deep inhale before passing it over to Steve.

"So I uh.. I heard you apologised to the kids" He murmured before he took a drag of the joint, giving Billy a chance to answer him while he held the smoke in his lungs.

"Told you I would"

"Still.. means a lot"

Well yeah, it did. His face had healed, it was whatever - although he supposed Billy had apologised for that too - but he knew that night had left a lasting impression on the kids.

They smoked in silence for a couple more minutes, passing the joint back and forth between the two of them. It wasn't long before Steve could feel his limbs becoming loose, and he pushed his hair back from his forehead as he leaned back against the rail, watching Billy. He looked good tonight, Steve could admit that, although he looked good all the time really. He'd been an asshole, but Steve could admit that he was attractive.

Speaking of being an asshole though, he considered his next words carefully before he spoke again, "Did you apologise to Max too?"

Billy just looked at him for a moment before shrugging, putting his hands in his pockets as he stamped out the roach, "It's not that easy, things are difficult between me and Max"

"She's still your little sister though"

"I know, but it's.. things happened before, and it changed everything"

"What things?"

"Doesn't matter"

Steve rolled his eyes, pushing his hair back from his forehead again - obviously he hadn't used enough hair spray tonight, "You can talk to me, man. You know I'll listen"

"I said it didn't matter"

He sighed, shaking his head a little. He wasn't sure why he bothered sometimes, Billy had had no problem opening up to him that night at the quarry, but now he was shutting down on him again even though he'd promised he'd listen, "Alright.. whatever, man, I'm gonna head back inside" He told him, pushing himself away from the rail and heading back towards the door,

"Wait!"

He turned back when Billy called him, frowning slightly at the fact that the younger boy was watching him with a slightly desperate looking expression. Hesitantly, he walked back to him, taking up his position against the rail again, "Look, it doesn't matter, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want"

"Its why we moved from Cali"

Steve stayed quiet as Billy spoke, he had a feeling that if he tried to urge the younger boy to speak then he would just backtrack and end up saying nothing to him in the end. So he just stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue on,

"I.. I had a uh, a boyfriend. His name was Ryan, and.. God, I loved him. Max was a naive kid though, and Neil is a dickhead, and she told him about Ryan. I don't think she meant to, it just.. it just happened. Neil flipped though, obviously, no son of his was going to parade around like some faggot. It wasn't the first time he'd beat me, but it was definitely the worst he'd ever done. I ended up in the hospital, broken shoulder, broken jaw, had to get twelve stitches across my eyebrow cause it was cut right down to the bone. I don't remember most of being in the hospital, I just know that our stuff was ready and packed and the house was sold by the time I got out, and we left the day after. I never even got to say goodbye to Ryan"

Steve honestly wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to that. He knew Neil hit Billy, but Jesus.. he didn't think he would have done that much to him. To break his jaw, that was something else.

"I'm sorry.. God, Billy, I can't even imagine"

Well yeah, Billy hadn't even done anything, he'd just.. all he'd done was be in love. That was another thing to think about though, the fact that Billy had had a boyfriend. He never would have guessed that he'd be into boys too, he'd always just assumed that he was strictly into girls. God knows he had enough of them falling all over him at school.

"It's okay. I managed to call him not long after we left, he's moved on and I have too, I'm into someone else now"

"Good, that's good"

He gave Billy a small smile before the younger boy dropped his gaze again, scuffing the toe of his boot against the decking. They both lapsed into silence again, quiet as Steve tried his best to process everything Billy had told him.

He supposed he kind of got it now the bad blood between Max and Billy. The other boy seemed to realise though that it wasn't exactly her fault, that she was just a kid and she hadn't realised what she had done, but he supposed he understood why it was hard for him to move past it. Her mistake had ended up with him in the hospital and Neil uprooting their entire family to the middle of nowhere.

"Did you ever figure out who was writing you those notes?"

Steve's head shot up at Billy's question, raising his eyebrows, "How the hell do you know about those notes?" He asked, looking over at him. Well yeah, the only people he'd told about them were Nancy and Robin, and he really doubted either of them had told Billy. He doubted either of them had told anyone actually. Maybe he'd seen him with the notes, or saw whoever it was slipping one into his locker. He must have, that was the only thing that explained how he knew about them, unless..

He couldn't help but notice that Billy was refusing to meet his eyes, that he was looking down with a look on his face that Steve could only describe as embarrassed, and that he was still scuffing his boot across the deck. All of a sudden, Steve felt his heart drop into his stomach,

"Are you the one writing them?"

"Would you be disappointed if I was?"

Steve honestly wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with that information. Of all the people that he had suspected of writing him the notes, Billy hadn't even been close to the list. The notes were sweet and heartwarming, and yet Billy pushed him around at school. There was no way that all of that was just him pulling his pigtails, that was all bullshit.

Still though, he couldn't deny the fact that he found himself looking at Billy, or that the younger boy had actually done the decent thing by apologising and seemed to be trying to make up for what he'd done that night. Plus, he had told himself that he wasn't that shallow asshole anymore, that he'd give whoever it was a chance. He'd meant that.

So he shook his head, biting his lip gently, "No.. surprised, for sure. But it was nice, y'know? It was sweet" He told him, giving him a small smile when Billy finally met his eyes.

"I do have a question though, what was the 'thank you' note for?"

"For listening, that night at the quarry. I've got so many 'friends' at this school and none of them know about any of that, I can't talk to anyone about shit like that. But you listened and you didn't judge me or go around telling everyone, so.. thank you"

"You're trying to make things better, to right all the shitty things you did. I know what that's like, you need people around you that care"

"Yeah, I guess.. but you're really not disappointed that it was me?"

Steve couldn't help but huff out a soft breath of laughter at his question, offering a small smile to the boy across from him, "No, I'm really not. I told myself I'd give whoever it was a chance"

Well yeah, he wasn't about to change his mind now that he knew it was Billy. He still wasn't sure really what the situation would be like at school, but he supposed that even since that night at the quarry; Billy had cooled off a little on picking on him. Maybe it would be okay. He bit his lip gently as he looked across at Billy, who was watching him with a slightly desperate look on his face,

"Can I.. can I kiss you?" He asked, taking a hesitant step towards Steve - who just nodded, soft smile still on his face.

Billy stepped into his space, resting his hands on the rail behind Steve on either side of his body, so that the older boy was bracketed in. This close, Steve could see the dusting of freckles across Billy's nose, the silvery white scar that cut across his eyebrow. He knew Billy had pretty eyes, but they were stunning up this close,

"You really are a pretty boy"

Steve smiled and rolled his eyes as Billy's quiet words, before ducking his head forward slightly to press their lips together.

The kiss was gentle and hesitant for the first couple of moments, Billy not touching Steve at all except for their lips. Eventually Steve moved his hands up to grip at Billy's biceps - feeling the hard muscle underneath - and swiped his tongue along the seam of the other boys lips. That finally seemed to get Billy with the picture, and he pressed his body against Steve's, one hand moving around to rest on his lower back as he licked into his mouth.

Steve had honestly expected Billy to kiss like he fought, for it to be quick and aggressive and to leave him with bruised lips afterwards. This was nothing like that though, Billy kissed long and slow, and every touch along Steve's skin felt like electricity. It made him go a little weak in the knees, if he was being honest.

After what felt like hours - although Steve knew it had probably only been a minute - they eventually pulled apart. Billy didn't back off at all though, his hand still resting on the rail behind Steve while his other one skimmed along the bare skin of his lower back, Steve's hands remained resting just at Billy's collarbones, his fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt.

He took a slightly shaky breath, the two of them still close enough to breathe each other's air, before he opened his eyes to look at Billy. He hadn't realised before, but this close it was obvious that he had a good two inches of height on the younger boy. Biting his lip gently, he returned the small smile that Billy gave him, leaning slightly into his touch,

"God, Harrington.. you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that"

Steve just smiled a little, pressing his forehead against Billy's,

"You could do it again, if you wanted"

After meeting his eyes for a moment, Steve found himself smiling yet again as he wound his arms around the younger boys neck, Billy surging forward to press another kiss to his lips.

  
-x-

  
When he woke up the next day, Steve was pretty sure that he'd have felt about the same as if he'd been hit by a truck. He wasn't sure why he did it every time there was a party; he knew how shit he always felt after getting that drunk. He hadn't even been too drunk last night though, but he assumed it was probably a combination of both the alcohol and the weed Billy had given him.

Which, speaking of Billy.. he really hadn't expected last night.

He hadn't expected Billy to be the one writing him those sweet little notes, he hadn't expected him to open up to him like he had, hadn't expected to end up kissing him.

Most of all though, he hadn't expected Billy's kisses to be something he couldn't get enough of.

Nestling back into the covers a little, there was a brief moment of panic when he realised there was a warm female body in the bed next to him, before he realised it was just Robin - he remembered then that he'd told her she could stay at his after the party.

She was propped up on her elbow, looking down at him with a grin, "Good morning, sunshine. Alive, are we?" She asked, and oh yeah.. he'd forgotten that she just didn't get hangovers.

"Remind me again why I always let you stay over?"

"Because I'm a joy to have around, and I'll make you pancakes"

"That'll do it, yeah"

Reaching over to tug down the collar of his t-shirt a little, he heard her snicker, "You have a hickey"

He reached up to prod at the side of his neck, feeling a spot of tenderness at the skin just over his collarbone. He and Billy hadn't even really done anything more last night, they had just continued to make out on the decking for a while longer, Steve's head dropping back slightly when Billy ducked his head down to press his lips to the sensitive skin on his neck. That was really the furthest they had gotten before the back door had slid open and they sprung apart. It had been Tommy, unfortunately, who had interrupted them, and he had proceeded to just give Steve shit until Billy had dragged him back inside, with a wink over his shoulder back at Steve.

"Yeah, I uh.. I found out who was writing the notes in my locker"

"No shit, who was it?" Robin asked, pushing herself into a sitting position and crossing her legs. Steve meanwhile was still curled underneath the covers.

"Would you believe me if I said it was Billy Hargrove?"

He couldn't help the delight he felt at seeing her mouth drop open in shock at this news. He supposed it was warranted though, he'd felt pretty much the same when he and Billy had talked last night and the younger boy revealed that it had been him.

"It was not.. how did you find that out?"

"He told me. He came out when I was outside and we just talked.. he told me some shit, and the notes came up and he admitted that it was him"

"So, what.. did you two sneak off to bang or something? He really did a number on you" She remarked with a grin, tugging down the collar of his t-shirt again to examine the bruise on his neck.

"No, we just necked for a while. I didn't actually see him again the rest of the night"

Well yeah, after Billy had dragged Tommy back in, Steve had gone back inside shortly after too, and he hadn't actually come across him for the rest of the night. It was probably better that way though. He doubted he'd see the other boy until Monday at school, so at least that gave him a little time to think about the whole situation, if he wanted it to actually go anywhere.

He nestled back down against the pillow, closing his eyes again. He just.. he wondered about the whole situation. Some of those notes had been so sincere, so heartfelt.. it was a little hard to believe that it was Billy who had written them - Billy who had shoved him to the ground more than once in basketball practice, Billy who had beaten his face to a bloody pulp last year. Still, the younger boy was obviously starting to open up to him a little, so he just.. he'd see where it went.

Opening his eyes, he offered up a slightly pitiful smile to Robin, "So, about those pancakes?"

  
-x-

  
Monday came before he knew it, and he yawned as he rested his head against his locker.

Honestly? He hadn't really gotten much sleep the rest of the weekend, he'd been up thinking about the whole Billy situation. He'd been half tempted yesterday to drive over to the younger boy's house - he knew where it was from when he'd dropped Max home once or twice - but with everything he knew about Billy's dad so far, it was probably safer if he didn't.

"Jesus, Harrington, you even try to cover that up?"

He glanced to the side to see Billy looking at the mark on his collarbone with his eyebrows raised. Okay if he was being honest, he hadn't actually tried that hard to cover the bruise up. Not that he was going to go around telling people it was Billy who had given it to him, but he just.. he kind of wanted to see Billy's reaction to it.

So he just shrugged, turning around to rest his back against the lockers, "Not really.. I kinda like seeing it" He said nonchalantly, drawing a laugh from Billy. He smiled as he glanced back at him, looking down at the note Billy pulled out of his pocket,

"I was on my way to put this in your locker but you kinda beat me to it" He told him, handing the note over to Steve who unfolded it, raising an eyebrow at the words that were written in that handwriting he'd become so familiar with,

_"Can I take you out tonight, pretty boy? - Billy"_

He looked back up at the younger boy, biting his lip gently, "What are you thinking?"

"We could go for a drive?"

Steve got that, he supposed. He knew Billy wouldn't want them hanging around anywhere local, or anywhere where there were too many people - especially if this was a proper date. He didn't blame him either, after hearing what his dad had done to him last time he'd heard that he had a boyfriend. He didn't want to be the reason Billy got beat up like that again.

"Cool, pick me up at eight?"

  
-x-

  
By the time eight o'clock eventually rolled around, Steve was leaning out the window of his living room, smoking a cigarette. He was half focusing on the television, half listening out for the familiar roar of the Camaro pulling up to the house.

It was a little weird, sitting here waiting to be picked up by Billy, knowing that this was an actual date. In fact, he was rather looking forward to just going for a drive though, rather than going to see a movie or anything. It would be just nice to get to know the younger boy a little, he hadn't realised how little he actually knew about him until he'd really thought about it earlier on.

Stubbing the cigarette out in the ashtray on the windowsill, he glanced out the window when he heard the approaching car, and sure enough it was the Camaro. It didn't take him long to grab his keys and then he was out the door, sliding into the passenger seat of the car, "Hey"

"Hey" Billy responded with that signature grin, leaning over after a moment to press a kiss to Steve's lips. The kiss was soft and chaste, so different to anything that he would have expected from Billy.

Once they had separated, Steve sat back in the seat, noticing how Billy's eyes dragged down the length of his body before flicking back up to his face, "You look good tonight, pretty boy"

"Coming from you, considering you don't ever not look good"

Smooth, Harrington. It was true though, Billy somehow even managed to make the ugly gym gear that they wore for basketball practice look good. He looked pretty dam good tonight too though - a white t-shirt on rather than his usual unbuttoned shirts, paired with a pair of unnecessarily tight jeans. Thankfully Billy didn't comment on his awful attempt at flirting, just shot him another grin before driving off.

They just drove in silence for a couple of minutes, Billy humming along to the hard rock track playing on the radio, before he glanced back in Steve's direction, "So, anywhere in particular you wanna go?"

"The quarry maybe? It'll be quiet up there" Steve answered with a shrug. Well yeah, they would be better off going somewhere a little private, he didn't want to have to spend the evening standing two feet away from Billy the whole time, trying to justify to anyone who saw them why they were even hanging out.

It didn't take them long to reach the quarry, and Billy was out of the car almost as soon as he cut the engine, walking around to sit on the hood of the car. Steve joined him after a moment, their shoulders pressed together as they looked out over the edge of the cliff, "Smoke?" He glanced to the side when Billy spoke, seeing the younger boy holding out a cigarette to him, his own already lit. He nodded, letting him light it for him before taking the smoke and inhaling deep.

"I uh.. I'm glad you agreed to this. I was kinda expecting you to run a mile when you found out it was me"

"I thought about it, not gonna lie"

"What changed your mind?"

"I just.. I think there's more to you than what people see, than what you let people see"

Well yeah.. to everybody else, Billy was just some asshole who'd rolled in from California with a chip on his shoulder and a bad attitude. He was slowly starting to let Steve in though, to see the other parts of him that other people didn't. He wasn't just a dick, he was hurting, he'd been dealt a shitty hand in life.

He didn't miss the small smile Billy shot in his direction before looking back down at the ground, taking another drag from his cigarette, "Not many people stick around that long"

"I'll try.. if you let me" He murmured, looking at him. Well yeah, he got the feeling that Billy wasn't the best at letting people in; that he found it easier to push them away.

Biting down on his lower lip for a moment, Billy sighed before he pushed himself off the hood of the car, putting his hands in his pockets,

"It won't be an easy ride. I mean.. I'm not like the Wheeler chick, you won't be able to parade around with me on your arm, having people comment on what a cute couple we are. I'm an asshole, I.. I push people away.."

Steve could tell Billy was getting frustrated, so he guessed it was probably better to just sit and wait while the younger boy got his rant out,

"Y'know maybe this whole thing is a bad idea. I'm not.. I'll drop you home"

"Hey, hey.. stop, c'mere" Steve murmured, catching Billy by the belt loop as he passed him, pulling him towards him. Billy sighed as he leaned into Steve, resting his hands on the older boys chest, fingers toying with the collar of his shirt.

"I know it probably won't be easy, but I want to get to know you"

"Why?"

"'Cause like I said, I think there's more to you than what everyone sees. I don't think you're a bad guy, I just.. I think you've just had it rough" He murmured, his own arms looped around Billy's lower back.

He wasn't sure if he'd misread the situation or not, but when Billy moved a hand up to cup his jaw, pressing their lips together, he was pretty sure he'd gotten it right. They simply kissed for a few moments, Steve sighing into Billy's mouth when he felt the younger boy winding his fingers into his hair.

Pulling away after a moment, he let his teeth drag Billy's lower lip out for a moment, before grinning at the low moan the other boy let slip out at the action.

"Fuck, King Steve kisses like a dream.. should've known" He teased with a grin, and Steve laughed softly and rolled his eyes. He was still half sat back against the hood of the Camaro, Billy pressed against his front. It was nice to just settle against each other like this.

"Tell me something I don't know about you?" He asked, Billy raising an eyebrow raise an eyebrow in response to his question,

"I'm left handed" He shrugged, and Steve smiled and rolled his eyes in response,

"Come on, you know what I mean"

"I've only ever been in one relationship before"

"With Ryan?"

"Yeah.."

That was a surprise, honestly. He knew Billy had girls falling all over him, and he'd heard Max telling El about the 'happy screams' coming from Billy's room from time to time, but he'd never imagined that he'd only been in one serious relationship before. He supposed though, he wouldn't have been rushing to get into another one after what Neil had done last time. Still though, it made it just a little sweeter that Billy was pursuing him even after all that - that he was actually taking him out and opening up to him, rather than just trying to get in his pants.

"Don't leave me hanging here, Harrington.. tell me something"

"I can sing. Like.. really well"

"No shit, really?"

"Yeah, I was gonna get lessons when I was younger, but just never happened"

Billy hummed, his fingers still loosely toying with the collar of his shirt. He seemed to have unwound a little, which Steve was grateful for. He wanted to give this a shot, but he wouldn't have put it past Billy to get pissed off at something and cut the evening short, "Do you miss California?" He asked, and Billy nodded,

"Yeah, I miss the beach. I used to spend the summers surfing"

"I've never been surfing"

"Maybe I'll teach you some day"

Steve just smiled a little, pulling Billy slightly tighter against him.

  
-x-

  
After another couple of hours, they eventually decided to head back. It was getting late, and they did have school tomorrow after all.

It had been nice though, to just spend the evening chilling with Billy. Their conversations hadn't gotten much heavier after that initial moment when Steve had thought Billy was going to bail on the evening. He was pretty glad of that actually, it was nice to just talk about trivial things like their favourite colours - Billy's was blue - and their favourite movies. Steve had tried his best not to pick too much fun at Billy when he'd admitted that he couldn't decide if Jaws or Footloose was his favourite movie - "Hey, Footloose is good!" Billy had insisted.

It didn't take them too long and Billy parked the car when they got to Steve's house. He just smiled a little, looking over at the younger boy, "D'you uh.. d'you wanna come in? My parents are never there, so" He said with a shrug.

Billy grinned, although he shook his head, "Maybe another time, pretty boy"

"Oh. Uh.. right"

"Hey, it's not a 'no'.. it's a 'next time'. I don't wanna rush this"

Steve smiled a little, leaning over to accept the kiss Billy gave him. Okay, there was a part of him that was relieved to hear that, actually. Not that he'd have any arguments if Billy wanted to come in, but he just.. it was nice that he wanted to wait.

"Alright, I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow" He told him, brushing a loose curl back from Billy's face, smiling when he caught his hand and pressed another kiss to the inside of his wrist. He hadn't actually anticipated how much Billy liked just kissing him; aside from the obvious kissing; the evening had been filled with Billy pressing light kisses to his temple or his knuckles while they'd just been talking. It was nice though, Steve certainly wasn't arguing.

"Yeah, go on" Billy told him, letting him go.

"Goodnight"

Steve gave him one last smile before climbing out of the Camaro, waving back at him once he had reached the door before going inside.

  
-x-

  
"Well? How did the big date go?" Robin asked as she dropped down opposite him, bright grin on her face.

He'd barely taken the first bite out of his apple and she was already harassing him, but he supposed he should've known better. He'd told her yesterday that he was going out with Billy that night, and she had made him promise to tell her all about it the next day.

"It was uh.. it was really nice actually"

"What did you guys do?"

"We just drove out to the quarry and hung out, talked a little"

"And made out too, I suppose?"

"Yeah, bit of that too"

He rolled his eyes when she grinned and reached over, playfully slapping him on the arm. Whatever, it was nice to be able to talk to somebody about it though. They'd established last night that it couldn't exactly be a known thing that they were seeing each other, but obviously Steve had a couple of people that he could trust with that information, Robin being one of them.

"Look at that, Steve Harrington's got himself a boyfriend"

"Whoa, slow down there. We've been on one date"

"But you like him though?"

"Yeah.. he's.. I do"

"So you're saying if he asked you to be his boyfriend, you'd say no?"

"I didn't say that, it's just.." He trailed off, sighing a little as he looked down at his forgotten apple, which was already starting to brown around the edges. Robin picked up on it though, and she raised an eyebrow, "It's just what?"

"It's not like.. well we've got to be low key about it. He's got shit going on at home, bad shit, and it could make things really awful for him if this got out. He likes me, obviously, but it's like he's got one foot out 'cause he's worried about that" He explained with a shrug.

Well yeah, that was the only thing. He knew Billy liked him, but he couldn't say he trusted him yet not to call the whole thing off because he was worried about he repercussions. He'd told him last night that he was in this if Billy was willing to let him in, so he just.. he hoped that that was enough.

"Hey, you showed me the notes he wrote you.. he's obviously crazy about you"

"Yeah, I'm just worried he might run"

"Well if he does, he wasn't worth it anyway"

He could only nod, giving her a slight shrug. He had a feeling that Billy was worth it though, that he just needed to trust Steve and let his guard down a little with him. He'd already opened up to him so much though, more than Steve had expected him to. He just.. he knew he was worried how things would end.

"You want the rest of this?" He asked, passing her over the rest of his apple when she nodded.

  
-x-

  
He was lost in thought as he walked down the corridor, bag slung over one of his shoulders.

He wasn't exactly thinking too hard about anything in particular, just about the whole situation. He didn't want this to be a dirty little secret - well obviously he'd told Robin already, but still. He trusted the few people in his circle; the kids obviously and Joyce and Hopper. He wasn't too sure about Nancy and Jonathan, mainly because he was pretty sure they just wouldn't get it. Actually, he was pretty sure the kids wouldn't get it either - and he was pretty sure Dustin would have a thing or two to say about it. Maybe it was better if he just kept it to himself for a while.

Yawning into the sleeve of his sweater, he yelped as his arm was snagged and he was dragged into the empty classroom he was passing by, the door quickly shutting behind him,

"Hey there, pretty boy. Fancy meeting you here"

He couldn't help but laugh and roll his eyes, playfully swatting Billy on the shoulder, "Asshole, you scared me"

"Sorry, baby. I didn't mean it" Billy murmured, pulling Steve towards him by his belt loops and wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Baby?" He asked with a grin, noticing how Billy's face flushed slightly when he pointed it out,

"Is uh.. is that okay?"

He thought about it for a moment, before nodding, draping his own arms over Billy's shoulders, "Yeah, I kinda like it" He told him, and the slightly nervous look on Billy's face was quickly replaced by a bright grin.

"So what's up, separation anxiety getting to you already? I mean, it's been a whole twelve hours since we've seen each other" He teased with a grin when Billy rolled his eyes at him. He was surprised at how easy the teasing came to them, how easy it was for it to lose all the venom it had had before.

"Dick.. I just wanted to give you a heads up to hang around after practice later"

"Why?"

"You'll see.. trust me, you'll like it" He told him with a grin and a wink, before glancing up when the bell rang, signalling that it was time for them to get to class,

"Will you be there?"

"You know I will"

"Alright, well I'll seeya later then"

He slipped out of the classroom then, leaving Steve to wait a couple of moments before he left too.

The rest of the day passed a hell of a lot quicker than Steve thought it would - considering it was on his mind what Billy had planned for later on. He wasn't worried though, it wasn't like he thought Billy was waiting until he was on his own to ambush him and beat him up again.

Eventually the school day ended, and Steve made his way over to the gym for practice. He hadn't actually seen Billy around again since this morning, and he smiled a little as he caught sight of him dribbling the ball around Derek, totally oblivious to the fact that he was being watched.

Billy was a hell of a player actually, once he got down to the game and actually focused on playing rather than harassing Steve about his own playing skills. He wasn't expecting anything much to change about today's practice though, he knew it would look like something was up if they suddenly started acting like best pals.

Quickly changing in the locker room and shoving his stuff into the locker, he made his way out onto the court, shooting Billy a subtle grin as he passed him,

"Alright, shirts and skins. Harrington and Hargrove are captains, play nice boys" Coach called, before blowing his whistle.

Steve tried his best not to look too hard when Billy dragged his shirt off, leaving him bare chested in just his gym shorts. It wasn't like it was the first time he'd seen the younger boy shirtless - hell he hardly ever wore shirts when he didn't need to - but still.

The game was actually.. good, if he was being honest. Sure he and Billy still roughhoused a little, shoving into each other as usual, but it was good-natured, lacked any of the nastiness that it used to have. He was pretty sure that was only obvious if you were looking close enough though, considering Billy pulled his usual shit - shoving against him until he pushed back too hard and ended up sprawled on the floor, "You ever gonna learn to plant your feet, Harrington?" He asked with a grin, although he took the sting out of it by offering a hand out to help him up this time. Whatever, he'd learn eventually.

"You'll be sorry when I do" He told him once he was on his feet again, ducking around Billy and snagging the ball from him. Billy might have had the brute strength and the skill, but Steve was quicker.

Eventually coach called the whistle on the end of practice, and the others headed off to the showers, although Steve lingered back, Billy's reminder from earlier still in his mind.

"You want a hand, coach?" He asked, and he nodded. It wasn't unusual for him to stay back anyway, he tended to do it a lot when he was just trying to avoid the others.

It didn't take too long to put everything away, although he took long enough that he was pretty sure everyone else would have vacated the showers by now.

"Alright, see you on Thursday" He called, although he jogged back when the coach beckoned him back over before he left,

"I think Hargrove is still hanging around, just.. make it quick and no fighting, got it?" He told Steve, who just nodded - the picture of innocence,

"Yeah, got it"

He headed into the locker room, despite the fact that he could hear the shower still running in the next room. He just wanted to be totally sure that the coach was gone before he went - last thing he wanted was for them to be caught. In the next minute or so though, he heard the door shutting, signalling that the coach had finally gone. Stripping quickly, he grabbed his towel before sauntering into the shower room.

As expected, Billy was alone. He didn't notice Steve at first, considering he had his eyes closed and his head tipped back under the water as he rinsed off. He was beautiful, Steve thought, as he watched him - all golden skin and hard planes of muscle. He eventually realised Steve was there though, when he switched on his own shower, stepping under the spray of the water. His blue eyes turned on Steve, face breaking into that signature smirk that was starting to grow on Steve,

"Well.. what's a guy like you doin' in a place like this?"

"I'm meeting someone actually. About yea high.. good hair, better ass.. bit of a dick"

"Yeah, I know him. A little birdie told me he's not coming though"

"Oh.. shame, that"

"Yeah, I'm sure I could do the job better than that guy though"

"And what job is that?"

"C'mere and find out"

Steve grinned, stepping towards Billy who reached out and pulled him closer by his hips, and wasted no time in pressing their lips together in a filthy kiss. He was pretty sure he was never going to get tired of kissing Billy actually, it left him breathless every time. Before he knew it, his back was pressed against the wall of the shower and he had his fingers knotted in Billy's wet curls as he continued to lick into his mouth.

Billy's fingers were warm when they closed around his cock, and his breath hitched a little as he bumped his nose against the younger boy's,

"Is this alright?" Billy asked, his eyes heavy as he looked up at Steve, who simply nodded. They continued to kiss for a few moments longer, Billy slowly working his fingers over Steve's cock, before he pulled away altogether, sinking to his knees. Steve swallowed thickly, his own fingers finding their way back into Billy's hair as he looked down at him, "Are you sure?"

"I'm more than sure, princess"

"Alright, well just.. it's been a, uh, a while, so.."

"Wheeler never do this for you?"

"Uh.. not really, no"

Well no, he and Nancy had slept together obviously when they were together, but she hadn't been a huge fan of blowing him, so they tended to just skip it altogether. Still, he didn't exactly want to be dwelling on his time with Nancy right now - he had better things to be focusing on right now.

Billy just hummed, his fingers tracing along Steve's hipbones as he looked up at him, raising goosebumps along his skin, "Well that's just a goddamn tragedy, that is" He remarked with a smirk, his teeth sinking into his lower lip for a moment before he dipped his head, wrapping his lips around Steve's cock.

Steve gasped quietly, his fingers still wound tight into Billy's hair. The younger boy seemed to have no issues with it, he seemed to encourage it actually - if the way he moaned quietly around Steve's cock whenever he pulled was any indication. Speaking of Billy; it was pretty obvious that he wasn't new to doing this. Steve had kissed boys before, but he'd never sucked a cock, and he was pretty sure he'd be awful at it at first. Billy, however, he had a damn skilled tongue. It didn't help either that he kept his eyes on Steve the whole time, the blue of his eyes nearly completely swallowed by his blown out pupils. It did more to Steve than he cared to admit.

Pulling back slightly, Billy smirked up at him as he nipped sharply over his hipbone again, "Goddamn long legs on ya.. You're like a fuckin' wet dream, it's no surprise that everyone wants a piece of you" He breathed, before wrapping his mouth around his cock again.

"Fuck, Billy.." He whimpered, his knees shaking a little despite the fact that he was leaning most of his weight on the wall behind him. It was just a lot happening at once; the spray of the shower hitting them occasionally, Billy working him over with his mouth while his hand covered what he couldn't fit in his mouth, his piercing gaze on Steve the whole time. He could feel the heat curling in his abdomen after an embarrassingly short amount of time,

"Billy, I'm.. shit, you can stop, I'm gonna come" He told him as well as he could, halfheartedly attempting to pull the younger boy off him by the hair. Billy stayed put though, and it was this insistence that pushed Steve over the edge. His head thudded back against the wall as he came with a choked out moan, his thighs shaking under Billy's hands.

Sinking down the wall to the ground, he gave Billy a lazy smile when he smoothed his wet hair back from his face, "You're alright, princess" He murmured, his fingers still running through Steve's hair. It took him a moment to realise that Billy was basically petting him, and he leaned forward to give him a long kiss, humming against his lips, "Let me take care of you"

"I'm good, I'm so good" Billy responded, nipping gently at his lower lip. It took Steve a second to realise that Billy had already come, that he must have been working himself over with his own hand while he took Steve apart at the same time,

"Hm.. not fair"

"Next time, pretty boy. C'mon, up you get"

He let Billy tug him to his feet by his hands and manoeuvre him under the shower for a moment. He was pretty sure it was mostly due to the fact that he was starting to shiver though, due to being wet in the cold shower room and the adrenaline high starting to wear off.

Eventually they relocated to the locker room and they dried off, although while Billy just got dried and dressed straight away, Steve knew he was lacking behind a little. When Billy noticed that he was still sitting on the bench in his underwear and socks - Billy himself being already dressed - he smiled and rolled his eyes, crouching in front of Steve with his t-shirt in his hands,

"Hello, earth to Harrington? You alive in there?"

"Hm?"

"Jesus, remind me next time that you're as useful as a sack of potatoes after you've blown a load" He teased with a grin, pulling Steve's t- shirt over his head for him.

Eventually Steve got himself dressed, and he bumped his shoulder against Billy's as they left the gym together. It was late, there was nobody else around to see them leaving together, it was fine. They walked in silence for a few moments, before he reached over tentatively and laced his fingers through Billy's as they walked, smiling when Billy squeezed his fingers in return,

"So I uh, I definitely wouldn't mind doing that again"

He looked over at Billy as he spoke, giving him a small smile, "Yeah, me too"

They simply smiled at each other for a moment when they reached the car park, although Steve jerked his head back in the direction that his Beamer was parked in, "I'm over that way" He murmured. He knew Billy's car was parked over the other side, he'd seen it when he was driving in this morning,

"Yeah I know, I'll see you tomorrow, then"

"Yeah, bye"

He leaned over to press a quick kiss to Billy's lips, giving his fingers a last squeeze before letting him go, heading back in the direction of  
his car.

  
-x-

  
After a little over a week of this, Steve figured that it was probably about time he came clean to the kids.

Well, to Dustin anyway. He knew that Lucas would probably roll his eyes at the news, Will and El - sweet kids that they were - would probably just say they were happy for him, and he doubted Mike would care either way. He knew Dustin would be the most mouthy about it though, and since he was closest to Dustin out of all of the kids, he knew it was only right that he tell him first.

He wasn't sure about the whole Max situation, he'd have to talk to Billy about that first - he knew that she was aware that she'd made a mistake last time, but he wasn't sure how Billy would feel about her knowing that they were together.

They'd never actually established that they were officially together, but Steve was pretty sure that he could say that without Billy laughing in his face. They'd gone out a good few more times, Billy still liked to kiss him more than anything else, and he'd found out now that he liked to hold hands too. It was sweet really, how soft Billy could be when he let down his hard exterior. Another thing in particular that really tugged on his heartstrings whenever it happened, was that Billy still left him little notes in his locker from time to time. Now though, he was able to leave notes of his own in Billy's locker, now that he knew who was writing them.

All in all, he was actually happy. So, he figured it was about time.

That morning when he ran into Dustin at school, he'd asked him if it was cool if he came over tonight for a movie night. He'd even promised to let the kid pick the movie. He did feel a little bit bad actually, when he lit up at the offer. Between spending so much time with Billy, spending time with Robin in between, and then trying to cram schoolwork and basketball practice in too, he'd barely spent any time with the kids lately.

So he drove over that evening, and he smiled when Claudia opened the door to him, "Steve, come in. He's in the den" She told him with a smile, letting him in,

"Hey, Mrs. Henderson.. hi, Tews" He cooed, crouching for a moment on his way in to pet the cat that was lingering behind Claudia. He felt a little bad really, that she never knew what had actually happened to Mews, but maybe it was for the best.

He made his way down to the den, and as soon as he walked in, he was greeted by the Star Wars theme tune blasting from the television. Apparently they were watching Return of the Jedi. He should've known.

"Jesus, were you gonna start without me?" He asked as he dropped down onto the other end of the couch than the end Dustin was on, reaching over to grab a handful of the popcorn from the bowl between them,

"I was getting it started! Besides, like you actually give a shit about what's going on. Did you even see Empire Strikes Back?"

"Uh, yeah"

"Sure"

"Dude, you made me watch it!"

"Whatever" Dustin groused, although Steve could see the grin that he was trying his best to hide. They bickered like an old married couple most of the time, but Steve loved the little nerd really.

They made it as far into the movie where Luke Skywalker went back to meet up with Yoda in his nasty swamp planet, before Dustin got up and paused the movie, turning to Steve with his arms folded,

"Alright, out with it"

"What?"

"I can feel the anxiety pouring off you from over here, so just spit it out whatever it is you have to say"

Steve sighed a little, scratching a hand through his hair for a moment before he shrugged, "Fine, I uh.. I'm kinda dating someone at the moment"

"Okay?"

"It's a guy"

"Alright, well we knew already that you swing both ways. Is that what you're antsy over?"

"No, it's uh.. he's.. look, you better not give me any shit for this, alright?"

"Oh come on, how bad can it be? I mean, it's not like it's Billy Hargrove, right?"

Steve was pretty sure he looked a little like a deer caught in headlights as Dustin spoke, and it only took a moment of his silence for the kid to catch on. Raising his eyebrows, he pointed at Steve, "Holy shit, you're dating Billy Hargrove?"

"Look, it's not a big deal"

"Uh, yeah it is! Did you forget he tried to grind you into dust last year?"

"He apologised for that, he apologised to all you guys for that night"

"That doesn't change the fact that he's a massive asshole though!"

"He's not though, not really. He's had it rough, and he's.. he's good to me, once I gave him a chance. I thought he was a dickhead too, but he's sweet"

Dustin simply regarded him for a second, his eyes narrowed as he looked at him. Steve honestly wasn't sure how this was gonna go. As much as he knew it wasn't a big deal in the long run, he still desperately wanted the kids approval,

"Are you happy with him?" He eventually asked, and Steve nodded,

"Yeah, I am"

"Alright.. I guess that's what's important then. I will kick his ass though if he hurts you again, make sure he knows that"

"Yeah, buddy. I will"

He was relieved actually, that that seemed to be the end of the displeasure coming from Dustin. He loved the kid, he wanted his approval when it came to this. They shared a quick smile before Dustin rolled his eyes, getting up to start the movie again,

"Just, uh.. can we keep this between us for now? It can't really get out that we're seeing each other, and I just.. I need to talk to him about it first"

"Yeah, alright, man"

He just nodded, giving him another quick smile before they settled back down to watch the rest of the movie.

  
-x-

  
He should've known really that their blissful little bubble wouldn't last forever before someone tried to come along and burst it. He just hadn't been expecting it to happen so soon.

It was the end of a long boring school day, and he was strolling out to his car with the intention of just driving straight home. Billy was busy that evening running some errands and Robin was off for the week away with her parents, even the nerds were busy due to an upcoming test they had, so he found himself that evening with no plans whatsoever. He was looking forward to it really. His mom and dad were due home that week, but his mom had called yesterday to tell him that the business trip was running longer than expected, so they wouldn't be home for another while. Usually, it would have bothered him, but he found the house was less lonely nowadays since he usually had either Billy or the kids coming over. It was nice to not be on his own the whole time.

"Steve!"

He glanced behind him when he heard his name being called, seeing Nancy running up behind him with her bag hanging off her shoulder, "Hey, um.. are you busy?" She asked, and he shook his head,

"No, just going home"

"D'you wanna go for a walk?"

"Uh, sure"

He shoved his car keys back in his pocket, walking alongside her. They'd settled things between them when they'd talked last time, but they still didn't exactly hang out. It was fine though.

"So, uh.. I'll just get to it. I overheard Mike and Dustin talking on their walkies last night, and Dustin kinda mentioned that you're dating Billy Hargrove?"

He sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. Making a mental note to smack the little nerd upside the head next time he saw him, he turned to her with a shrug, "Yeah, I am"

He just hoped that Dustin was smart enough to keep his mouth shut for the most part - or that he'd at least only told the other kids. He didn't want this to end up getting back to Billy's dad, and while he knew that they probably could trust Max, he just.. he wanted to talk to Billy first about it.

Nancy just looked at him, her eyebrows raised in that concerned way that she did, "Steve.. what are you doing?"

"I'm dating him, like we just established"

"Yeah, but why? Steve's he's.. he's an asshole, you could do so much better"

"He's not, actually.. and if you wouldn't mind not talking about him like that"

"He hurt you!"

"Well, no offence, Nance, but so did you"

She just looked up at him at that, and he could tell that she was a little taken aback that he'd spoken back to her like that, but he just.. he was sick of hearing this, he was sick of people trying to convince him that Billy was bad for him and that he was making a mistake.

"I-"

"No, I don't wanna hear it. It was brushed under the carpet, and I know you apologised, but you hurt me too. You were supposed to love me, and you broke my heart and ran off with Jonathan before we'd even broken up properly.. so don't, don't try and act like you know what's best for me. I'm happy for you, Nance, I'm glad that you're happy, but just.. I'm happy now too, he makes me happy. So I don't need you ruining that for me, alright?"

She just nodded, her teeth sinking into her lower lip, and he sighed and pulled her into a hug, "I'm sorry, alright? I just.. nobody gets it, and I'm tired of people telling me that I'm making a mistake"

"Are you sure you're not though?"

"I.. yeah. He's not like everyone thinks he is; he's sweet, and he's kind, and he acts like a dick because he's been hurt before, but he's not"

He wasn't sure if she totally believed him on that, but he wasn't all too concerned about it. He just wanted to make sure she knew that her opinion on Billy wasn't going to change his opinion of him. She didn't know him, she only saw what he let everybody see.

"Okay.."

"Okay"

With a last nod, he waited until she had turned away from him before he turned too, running a hand through his hair as he walked back in the direction of his car.

Just, fuck this day honestly.

  
-x-

  
His talk with Nancy had actually put him in a far worse humour than he'd thought that it would.

He knew that really, it was just her way of trying to look out for him, but she didn't get to have an opinion on his personal life anymore. At least when Billy had hurt him, they had hated each other - and he'd gotten a few hits in too. Nancy was supposed to have loved him, and she had totally blindsided him when she'd admitted that she didn't love him and that their entire relationship was bullshit. So yeah, what she had done was almost worse.

Considering his original plan was to go straight home and lounge around after school, that was what he done.

Not twenty minutes after he'd gotten home, he was sprawled on top of his bedsheets, an old pair of shorts and a t-shirt on, and a Queen record playing on his stereo.

"Each morning I get up I die a little, can barely stand on my feet.." He sang along with Freddie Mercury as he stared up at his ceiling, before sighing as the doorbell rang. He decided to just ignore it, humming along to the music, before rolling his eyes when the doorbell rang again.

So help him if it was somebody selling something.

Dragging himself off the bed with a frustrated sigh, he stalked downstairs and opened the door, before raising his eyebrows when he saw Billy standing on the step outside,

"Hey, pretty boy"

"Thought you had plans?"

"I said I had errands to run, not that I had plans"

"Right"

He couldn't help but notice that Billy's lower lip looked a little swollen, and that his left cheek was a little rosier than the right one. Still, he seemed like he was in a good mood though, so he figured there was probably no point in asking about it and souring the mood. Not that he wasn't in a sour mood already anyway, but still.

"Well, you gonna leave me hanging here, or can I come in?"

"Look, I'm not in the mood"

Billy's face seemed to soften a little at that, and Steve could see the hesitant concern in his eyes, "What's wrong?" He asked, and Steve sighed as he stepped aside to let him in. He figured there was probably no point in pushing Billy away right now when it wasn't even him that he was pissed off at.

Billy reached out to take his hand once he'd shut the door behind them, pulling Steve into the living room, "You wanna talk about whatever happened?" He asked as they sat down. Steve threw his legs over the younger boy's lap, smiling a little when he draped his arms over his legs,

"Just.. Nancy and I had a chat after school. Before you get mad, she knows about us, I told Dustin and she heard him telling Mike, but that's as far as it's gone"

"It's okay, just.. once it doesn't get back to my dad, it's okay. What did you two talk about?"

"She basically tried to tell me that I was making a mistake, that I could do so much better.. and I'm just so sick of everybody thinking that they get to have an opinion on my personal life, and that I should listen to their opinion because I obviously can't make decisions for myself"

"Hey, you don't need to listen to all that, right? The only opinion that matters here is mine and yours, do you think you're making a mistake?"

"No" Steve murmured with a shake of his head, and then because he had to ask - "Do you?"

"No.. well I'm not totally sure that you're not making a mistake but-"

"Oh, fuck off" He muttered, drawing his legs back off Billy's lap, before stopping when he coaxed them back down,

"Alright, alright.. I'm sorry, come back"

He sighed, folding his arms as he draped his legs back over the younger boys lap. He was pissed off, and if he was being honest, Billy was not helping right now, but he just.. he knew he was trying his best.

"I don't think you're making a mistake, and even if you are; I'm happy you're making that mistake because it means I get to have you"

Steve couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips as Billy spoke, and he just leaned into his side a little, "I just don't get why everyone can't leave us alone"

"Well you gotta admit that this whole thing came a little outta left field"

"I know, but still.. it's our business"

They lapsed back into silence after that, although it was a comfortable silence. Billy hummed along to the music that was still playing faintly from Steve's room, combing his fingers through the older boy's hair. It was nice just having him there actually, he hadn't been in the mood at all, but he had to admit that even Billy's presence there was making him feel a little better - which said a lot really about the situation.

"You wanna stay over?"

Billy sighed, giving Steve a sympathetic look, "I'd love to, but you know I can't"

"Yeah, I know"

Well yeah, Steve was sort of just pushing his luck a little. They'd already established that they couldn't exactly spend the night at each other's houses. Steve couldn't stay at Billy's for the obvious reasons, and Billy couldn't stay over because Neil was constantly on his back about staying out at night. It was fine though, it would be nice in situations like this if he was able to stay over, but it was fine.

He leaned back into Billy's side, yawning a little, before looking up at him when he moved Steve's legs off his lap and stood up, "Where're you going?" He asked, raising an eyebrow when Billy took his hand and pulled him to his feet, "Come on"

He lead him through the house, sliding open the back door once he had unlocked it, "Lets go for a swim, it's warm and you'll get to see me with no shirt on, so that's a bonus" He teased with a grin.

Steve couldn't bring himself to appreciate the joke though, not when he was looking down at the pool. It was stupid really, but he just.. he hadn't actually been out to the pool since Barb had disappeared. He tended to just keep the back door locked and the blinds closed whenever he was there. Like he'd said, it was stupid - he knew the Gate was closed and that those monsters weren't coming back, but he just couldn't.

"I, uh.. maybe we could do something else"

"Oh, come on. What's the point of dating someone with a pool if you never get to use it?"

"Billy, please. I- I can't"

The desperation in his voice seemed to make Billy realise that he wasn't kidding, and the smile fell off his face, "Alright, um.. let's just hang out in your room or something" He said with a small smile, walking back inside with him.

He waited until they'd walked back up to his room, Steve restarting the Queen tape that had finished playing while Billy sprawled on his stomach on his bed, before he asked, "So, uh.. can you not swim or something?" He asked, and Steve rolled his eyes as he sat next to him, leaning back against the headboard,

"No, it's uh.." He trailed off. Looking over at Billy, who was watching him with his face propped up on his hands, he figured that he could probably trust him,

"I know you hadn't moved here yet, but you've heard of Barbara Holland, right?"

"The chick who died from the chemical leak?"

"Yeah, she uh.. it wasn't a chemical leak that killed her"

Billy just looked up at him, his blue eyes soft, waiting for him to continue. He hadn't realised how hard it was to actually talk about this, considering he hadn't had to talk about it to anyone before.

"Look, I'm not really supposed to talk about this. It's a whole thing, the government made us sign non-disclosure agreements and everything, but I'll tell you as much as I can.. The thing is, there are things in the woods, or there were anyway; they're gone now. Actual monsters, and Barb.. the night she died, I had a party here. Tommy and Carol came, and so did Nancy, and she brought Barb with her. Barb obviously didn't want to be there, but she stayed for Nancy. She wanted to leave, but Nancy and I went upstairs, so she decided to leave alone, but she uh.. she never did. One of those things was here, and she died in my pool. I don't know what happened to her body, but she died in my pool. It was covered up for months, but eventually it was reported that it was a chemical leak that killed her, to cover up what actually happened"

Billy just looked at him when he'd finished speaking, his eyes wide. Eventually he pushed himself up into a sitting position, frowning as he looked over at Steve, "Are you safe here? I mean, if that girl was killed right out there, by one of those.. whatever it was. Are you safe here?"

"I am. It's fine, they're gone now.. it was dealt with. I just.. I haven't been able to go out there since"

Billy just nodded, and Steve was glad that he could see the understanding in his face. He wasn't totally sure if he believed him, but at least he wasn't telling him that he was ridiculous, or asking if he was sure that that was what really happened. He was acting like he believed him, and that was all he needed right now.

"Okay, that's okay.. we'll just hang out here instead"

"Thank you"

"Even if I'm a little more freaked out by the amount of plaid in here than by what you just told me. Jesus, Harrington"

Steve huffed out a laugh, reaching over to lightly flick Billy on the forehead. He could feel a weight off his shoulders though, and he was just glad that he'd finally spoken to someone about all of this. He knew the others were in the same boat as him, but he was the one who sat at home every night, terrified to go out to his back yard. He hadn't been able to admit that to any of them either, so he just.. he was glad that he was able to talk to Billy.

They lapsed back into silence then, Steve running his fingers through Billy's hair while the younger boy settled back down on his stomach, his eyes closed as he hummed along to the music, "Didn't know you were a Queen fan, didn't think they would be heavy enough for you"

"Yeah, man. Brian May is hot"

He huffed out another breath of laughter at that, smiling down at Billy as he just continued to scratch his fingers lightly over his scalp, "Hotter than me?"

"Not even close, pretty boy"

  
-x-

  
Since Billy had been oddly okay with the fact that people were starting to find out about the two of them being together, Steve figured it was probably about time that he introduced him to the others as his boyfriend.

Nothing major really, just.. he wanted to even just have the kids and Robin over for dinner or something while he was there, at least try and have them all get along with each other. Obviously he loved the kids to pieces, and Robin was his best friend, so he just.. he wanted them to get to know Billy - not just as the asshole who'd somehow wormed his way into Steve's life, but at someone that he really cared about.

Small steps though, obviously.. he hadn't asked Nancy or Jonathan over, or Joyce or Hopper. He didn't want to overwhelm Billy, he knew that just because they were obviously on better terms with each other now; didn't mean that he would particularly want to be best buddies with all of Steve's found family. So just.. baby steps.

He'd already asked the kids and Robin, and now he was just wondering how he was supposed to break the subject to Billy.

Eventually he decided that he was better off just asking him, so when he saw Billy at his locker later on that day, he simply walked over and leaned back against the lockers next to Billy's folding his arms, "So, d'you wanna have dinner at mine tonight?" He asked, not looking at Billy.

The younger boy just looked over at him, raising an eyebrow, "Sure, what's the catch?"

"Well by 'dinner at mine', I mean 'dinner with me, Robin, and the kids'"

Billy just looked at him, both his eyebrows raised this time. Steve couldn't really blame him, he knew this was probably a surprise. Still, he wasn't backing out, he wanted this dinner to happen.

"You want me to have dinner with the nerds you hang out with?"

"They're my friends.. and uh, I haven't asked Max. I don't know if you said anything to her, so I'll leave it up to you if you want to bring her over"

Billy seemed to mull the idea over for a moment, before he nodded, "Okay, I'll be over at seven" He said as he shut his locker, flashing Steve a quick wink before he walked off. Okay. So that was that.

He was somewhat concerned about it for the rest of the day, mainly because he wasn't sure what the kids were going to think. He knew he'd told Dustin, and obviously the little shithead had told the others, but he just.. he was worried. He didn't doubt Dustin would protest - and loudly at that - but he wasn't too sure what the other kids reactions would be. He wondered whether Billy would bring Max though, or whether he'd show up alone.

Eventually school ended, and he rushed home for a quick shower, and to make sure the place was at least somewhat tidy. Seven o'clock came sooner than he was prepared for it to though, and the doorbell rang. When he answered it, he was glad at least to see that it was Robin and the kids - which meant that he'd have a little time to prepare himself until Billy arrived.

"He here yet?" Dustin asked as they followed Steve in, who rolled his eyes, "No, Dust-bin. He'll be here soon"

They congregated in the lounge, the kids deciding on something to watch while Steve called the pizza place to order the food. Once he had hung up the phone, he joined them back in the lounge,

"Um.. can I just say, please be nice to him, guys? I know what you're probably all thinking, but I like him, so please don't fuck this up for me? Please?" He asked, looking around at each of the kids. He wasn't worried about Robin, or about Will or El, but he didn't trust the other three boys to not say anything stupid. He wasn't above begging them though, clearly.

Eventually he got a nod from each of them, Dustin and Lucas both looking a little sheepish as they did, "Okay, thank you, guys" He said with a small smile, before glancing back over his shoulder when the doorbell rang again. Looking back at the kids, he pointed a finger at them, "Best behaviour" He warned them, before going back out to the door.

He opened it, smiling a little when he noticed Max there as well as Billy. Okay, that was a good sign. This was clearly a dinner to introduce Billy to the kids as his new boyfriend, so it was really good that he'd brought Max.. meant that he'd at least trusted her with the information that he and Steve were dating.

Taking a step forward, Billy held Steve by the chin as he pressed a firm kiss to his lips, before licking his own lips when he'd pulled back, "Alright, let's get this over with" He said as he walked past Steve into the hall. Risking a glance down at Max, Steve rolled his eyes when he saw that she was just watching him with a smirk - too like Billy's for them to not even be related by blood, "Hey, Steve"

He rolled his eyes, smiling as he reached out and ruffled her red hair, "Whatever, come in" He told her as he ushered her in, shutting the door behind them.

When he followed Billy into the lounge with Max in tow, he swallowed when he noticed six pairs of eyes just watching them, "Alright, so uh.. pizza will be here soon" He told them, pushing Billy forward slightly into the lounge as Max went and joined the other kids.

"Buckley" Billy muttered as he sat on the opposite end of the couch to Robin, leaving Steve to perch on the armrest at Billy's side,

"Hargrove" She responded, the smile on her face as sweet as sugar. Steve had a bad feeling about that, but he knew he was better off just not provoking anything - not yet anyway.

He settled into Billy's side, glad that the kids were distracted by having come across Blade Runner while they were flicking through the channels. Okay so he knew that they were barely ten minutes into the evening, but he was glad that nothing had gone horrifically wrong yet. Sighing, he just leaned a little more into Billy's side, smiling down at him when the younger boy wrapped an arm around him. When he glanced back up, it was to find Max watching them - although she was trying to be subtle about it - a small smile on her face. He could probably guess what she was thinking, although he assumed it was probably better that he didn't bring attention to it.

Eventually Dustin sighed, turning around to look at Billy with his arms folded, "Okay, I gotta just get it out there, and then that'll be it. What are your intentions with Steve?"

Billy just choked a little, and Steve could barely repress his grin behind his hand as he looked between the two boys, "Excuse me?" Billy asked, his eyebrows raised,

"You heard me"

"What are you, his fuckin' dad?"

Dustin just continued to fix Billy with the same look, unwavered and not intimidated by him in the slightest. Steve had to hand it to the kid, although maybe it was just because he knew Steve wasn't about to let them start any shit here. Eventually Billy sighed, shrugging a little, "He's my boyfriend, what else d'you want me to say?"

"And you genuinely like him?"

"No, I hate his fuckin' guts. What d'you think?"

Dustin just narrowed his eyes, arms still folded. Honestly? Steve was pretty impressed actually. Seemed that Billy was the one who was intimidated in the end - because he just groaned, dropping his head back for a second before looking back at the kid, "Yes, I like him.. alright?" He asked, and Dustin nodded after a moment, "Alright, that's all I wanted to know"

Billy just looked at Steve, incredulous look on his face, and Steve laughed and rolled his eyes, ducking his head to press a quick kiss to his temple, "What can I say?" He asked with a grin.

Thankfully, the pizza didn't take too much longer to arrive, and Steve dragged Billy and Robin out to the kitchen to sort out plating up the pizza before bringing them back out to the kids. Since they'd all moved around, Steve found himself squeezed in between Robin and Mike on the couch, their elbows pressed together as they turned their attention back to to the movie while they ate their pizza. Out of the corner of his eye, Steve noticed Will shuffling over until he was sitting next to Billy, looking up at the older boy. He decided not to draw attention to it though, just watched as subtly as he could while Billy eventually noticed the kid,

"Uh.. hey, kid"

"Hi"

"You're Will, right?"

"Yeah"

"Right"

They fell back into silence after that, both of them just nibbling on their pizza before Will turned back to Billy again, "Max said your dad is kinda shitty.. mine is too"

Billy just looked down at Will, an odd expression on his face, "That so?"

"Yeah, he doesn't live with us anymore though"

"Kid, listen. If he's that shitty, you're better off without him around"

Steve didn't miss the way Will curled slightly into Billy's side as he nodded - not enough to be noticeable, but just.. Steve could see it. Will was a sweet kid really, he didn't deserve all the awful things that had happened to him,

"Yeah, I know.. I think you're good for Steve, he's been happier since you two started dating"

And okay, he certainly hadn't expected any of them to have noticed that. He was though, he supposed. It was nice to have someone there, someone who cared about him and wanted to be with him. He hadn't dated anyone since Nancy, hadn't even really had an interest in anyone since her, so it was just nice to have someone. He could tell Billy hadn't expected that from Will though, because he glanced over to Steve with his eyebrows raised, Steve flashing him a quick wink when he caught his eye before turning back to the television.

Eventually it got late though, and Billy sighed as told Max to grab her coat, that they had to get going. It was fine, Steve knew that Billy couldn't exactly have Max out late, with Neil on his back about it every time. He grabbed his own coat while Max said goodbye to the kids, and he gave them a wave of his own before Steve walked them out. He lingered by the door with Steve though while Max went on ahead to the Camaro.

Catching Billy's hand in his, Steve gave him a small smile, "Thank you for this, I really appreciate it"

"It's fine, I know it meant a lot to you. That Henderson kid is something else though" He said with a huff of laughter, and Steve smiled, "I know, he's a little shithead" He said with a grin, before leaning over to press their lips together, "Go on.. I'll see you tomorrow" He told him, giving him a grin as he pushed him playfully out the door. Billy just laughed, throwing his middle finger back over his shoulder at Steve as he walked down the driveway.

He watched the Camaro driving off before he went back inside, dropping back down beside Robin.

"So, that went surprisingly well"

"It did, yeah"

"I know we all hated him, but I do think he really cares about you"

Steve could only smile, and he could feel himself blushing a little, but it was whatever. Maybe it was true.

  
-x-

  
He yawned as he leaned back against Billy, tucking his head under the crook of his neck. It was a Sunday evening and they were hanging out at Steve's place as usual, curled up in front of the TV. They had planned to drive out a bit and get a burger or something, but since the weather was shitty, they had decided to just crash at Steve's place and order pizza. The pizza was long gone, and now they were just laid on the couch, watching Gone with the Wind.

"I still think she should've run a mile"

"Hm?"

"Are you even watching the movie?" Billy asked with a grin, tilting his head back a little so that he could look down at Steve.

"Sort of"

Okay, if he was being honest; he was more just enjoying lying here in Billy's embrace than actually focusing on the movie. He was comfortable, and Billy was warm, and he was trailing his fingers up and down the length of Steve's arm in a way that made him shiver now and again. Turning over so that he was on his stomach, he folded his arms over his Billy's chest and rested his chin on them, smiling up at him, "Y'know the way you've seen this movie like.. a million times? How about you pay attention to me instead?" He teased with a grin.

"Hm.. I don't know, it's a really good movie"

Steve hummed, leaning up a little to press a couple of soft kisses along the underside of Billy's jaw, "Sure"

"And you really are distracting me from it"

"Good, about time" He said with a grin, leaning up slightly further then to kiss him properly. He hummed against his lips as he felt one of Billy's hands coming to rest on his lower back, the other threading through his hair. He still had his hands resting on the younger boy's chest, although he moved them lower as they kissed, unbuckling his belt.

Pulling away from the kiss slightly, Billy hummed as he nipped gently at Steve's lower lip, "Y'know, Neil and Susan are outta town for the  
night, Max is staying over at El's.. I could probably stay over a little later than usual"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah.. we could, uh.. move this somewhere a little more comfortable"

Steve pulled back a little - still close enough to be breathing the same air as Billy, but just far enough that he could look down at him. There was an unspoken question in Billy's eyes as he looked up at him, and Steve could tell immediately what he was suggesting. Sure they'd fooled around a little after that first quick blowjob in the showers after practice, but that was really as far as it had gotten. They hadn't had the time or the opportunity for anything else, and so it remained that they still hadn't actually slept together properly.

"Yeah, come on"

Kneeling back so that he could clamber off the couch, he pulled Billy up with him, grinning when the younger boy wound his arms around his waist again and pressed his face into his neck to nip at the soft skin over his jugular, "Today would be nice" He teased with a grin, humming when Billy slid his hands into the back pockets of his jeans.

Billy leaned back a little, a mischievous smirk on his face, and Steve could tell that something was up before he'd even said anything, "Whatever you're thi- Billy!" He screeched, gripping onto the younger boy as well as he could when he bent and hauled Steve up in a fireman's lift. Okay so he knew that he was strong, that his muscles weren't all just for show, but this was really just unnecessary,

"I swear to God, Hargrove.. drop me and you're dead"

"Please, little dainty thing like you.. I ain't gonna drop you"

Steve spluttered a little, lightly swatting Billy on the ass, "I am not dainty" He groused as Billy continued to carry him up the stairs, "Good view from back here though, I gotta admit". He was half convinced that he was going to drop him, or that he was going to trip and they'd both end up falling down the stairs, but he managed to successfully get them to Steve's room and he grinned as he dumped the older boy on his bed,

"You're an asshole, don't ever do that again" Steve told him with a grin, reaching up to hook a finger in the belt loop of Billy's jeans and pulling him down onto the bed with him. He hummed quietly at the feeling of the other boys weight on top of him when Billy settled down, and he leaned up to press their lips together in another kiss,

"Hm.. you know I can't resist it, baby" Billy murmured against his lips, his own fingers threading through Steve's thick hair,

"Well.. now you've got me where you wanted me"

He caught Billy's gaze after he'd spoken, and the two shared a quick grin - Billy's bordering on predatory - before he shifted up a little so that he could pull his shirt off, followed shortly by Steve's t-shirt. After that, it didn't take them long to lose their jeans and their underwear, and Steve moaned against Billy's lips when he rolled their hips together.

Pulling back slightly, Billy dropped a kiss to his cheek, before another one followed just under the curve of his chin, then just above his collarbone, and then another to the left side of his chest. It took him a moment to realise that Billy was following the pattern of moles on his skin, that he was peppering each one with a kiss.

"Fuck, this is all I wanted since that night I first kissed you"

"Me too, Billy"

After another lingering kiss shared, Billy leaned up and over to rummage in the drawer where he knew Steve kept his lube. Steve stopped him though, biting his lip gently as he looked up at the other boy,

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I just.. I wanna try something"

He shuffled up until he was able to press Billy back against the mattress, looking down at him. Seeing him here, cheeks slightly flushed as he looked up at Steve, hair fanned out against the pillow.. Steve had to admit that he was beautiful. Well he'd always known that he was beautiful, it was hard not to think that about him with his golden skin and piercing blue eyes. Now though, it wasn't so much that he was realising that he was beautiful, it was more.. that he was realising he was in love. He loved Billy.

He moved down until he was looking up at Billy, who just smiled reassuringly and stroked his fingers through his hair, "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like you have to do this" He murmured, although Steve nodded, "I'm sure"

They'd fooled around a couple times, gotten each other off, and Billy certainly seemed to enjoy blowing Steve, but he'd never actually repaid the favour. He'd gotten him off with his hand, he'd never just left him hanging, but he just.. he'd been nervous about doing this. It was only recently that he'd kind of accepted the fact that he was bisexual, so he'd never exactly been with another boy - he just didn't want to screw it up or make a fool of himself.

Gently petting his hair again, Billy shot Steve another sort of reassuring smile, before his breath hitched when Steve dragged his tongue over his hipbone. Okay, so whether or not he'd been with a boy before, Steve knew how to tease. This part was all the same regardless of what gender his partner was; a soft bite here, a wet kiss there, all while avoiding the parts that actually mattered. He was good at winding people up.

He felt Billy's hand coming to rest in his hair again as he laved wet kisses down along his thigh, before delivering a playful nip to the delicate skin of the inside of his thigh, "Such a pretty boy, can't fuckin' believe you're all mine" He breathed, and Steve couldn't help but preen a little at the compliment. It used to piss him off when Billy called him pretty, but he found he didn't mind it so much anymore.

"Well you better believe it, 'cause I'm not going anywhere"

He didn't give Billy time to respond before he closed his lips around his cock, wrapping a hand around what he wasn't able to fit in his mouth. He'd already prepared himself for being awful at this, so he couldn't help the delight he felt at hearing the groan that slipped past Billy's lips at his actions.

He didn't try and get too overambitious, mainly because he knew that he'd only end up choking and making a fool of himself if he did, so he kept to bobbing his head lightly, the spit that had pooled making the glide of his hand a little easier.

"Fuck, Steve" Billy groaned, his breath catching in his throat as he gripped onto Steve's hair, "Get back up here" He told him with a tug on his hair. Steve let himself be manoeuvred back up until he was hovering over Billy, leaning down to press their lips together in a messy kiss, "Sorry if that sucked a little"

"You kidding me? Didn't wanna come before we got to the good part" He said with a sharp grin, and Steve barely had time to blush before he was being pressed back against the mattress again. They simply kissed for another couple of moments, Billy slowly rolling his hips down against Steve's, before the younger boy leaned up again to grab the bottle of lube.

Steve just watched as he leaned back a little, pouring some of the lube onto his fingers before he turned his attention back on Steve, "Have you ever done this before? To yourself even?" He asked, and Steve shook his head. He'd thought about it before, but he'd never actually given it a shot.

"Alright, well it could feel a little weird, so just bear with me" He murmured, before leaning down to press another kiss to his lips. He waited until Steve had gotten totally into the kiss before he pressed a finger into him, feeling how Steve tensed up at the action, "Relax, baby.. it'll feel better if you relax"

Steve took a deep breath through his nose, willing himself to relax as he wound his arms around Billy's neck. It didn't feel bad exactly, it was just weird, like Billy had said. After he had relaxed enough to do so, Billy added a second finger, grazing his teeth over Steve's neck as he moved them in and out of his body.

Once he had added a third finger, he hit something inside Steve that shot a jolt of pleasure to every inch of his body, "Billy, fuck.. shit, do that again" He gasped, his fingers digging into the skin of Billy's shoulderblades. The younger boy just smirked as he searched for that spot inside him again, and soon enough Steve felt like his whole body was coiled tight as a spring, "Billy, please"

He took pity on him eventually, withdrawing his fingers and wiping them on the sheets before he leaned over the edge of the bed to grab his jeans, wrestling a condom out of the pocket. He tore it open, quickly rolling it over his own cock and pouring more lube over himself before positioning himself back between Steve's thighs.

"You sure this is okay? We can switch if you want, I've been on the receiving end before" He asked, and Steve shook his head,

"No, I want this"

They shared a quick smile before Billy shifted a little, pulling Steve down to him a little so that his hips rested on top of Billy's thighs, letting the older boy wrap his legs around his hips.

"Alright, take a deep breath for me, baby"

Steve did what he was told, although a quiet whimper slipped past his lips when Billy finally pressed into him. It didn't hurt, it was just a little uncomfortable - Billy had taken his time preparing him, but his cock was a hell of a lot bigger than three fingers.

Once he had bottomed out, Billy leaned his forehead against his chest, and Steve could hear the shaky breaths he was taking. After a couple of moments where he let himself get used to the feeling, he pulled Billy's head back up by the hair, craning his neck to press their lips together again, "You gonna fuck me or what?" He asked, matching Billy's grin with one of his own.

It didn't take them long to settle into a rhythm, and soon enough Steve had his head pressed back into the pillow, feeling like the breath was being punched out of him with every thrust Billy gave. There was really no sight that compared to this one - Billy's cheeks flushed as he fucked into Steve, his damp hair sticking to his forehead, his eyes wild with lust. He was glad that they hadn't rushed into doing this, but fuck.. if that wasn't a sight he wanted to see every day for the rest of his life.

"You feel so good, baby.. I'm not gonna last" Billy grunted against Steve's neck as he pulled one of the older boy's legs a little higher up around his hips, changing up his angle a little. The new angle made Steve gasp, stars exploding behind his eyes. He couldn't do much except hold onto Billy like his life depended on it, his nails digging into the skin of his back.

When Billy wrapped a hand around his cock, moving it in time with his thrusts, it was all over for Steve. He came with a whine, his thighs tightening around Billy's hips. After a moment he felt Billy's thrusts turn erratic, and his teeth closed over Steve's collarbone as he stilled, a groan ripped from his throat.

They didn't move for a couple of moments, both of them slowly coming down from the adrenaline high before Billy eventually rolled to the side off of Steve. He pulled off the condom and tied it off, throwing it somewhere in the general direction of the bin in the corner while Steve just pushed his damp hair back off his forehead.

Well, fuck. Seemed the rumours were true, that Billy was a hell of a lay.

"You still alive there?" Billy asked as he finally settled back down beside Steve, pushing back a stray strand of brown hair that Steve had missed.

"Just about" He teased with a slightly breathless grin, draping his arms around Billy's neck. He was warm and loose-limbed, pliant as Billy moved him around a little to get them both in as comfortable position as possible, pulling the covers up over them. He was pretty sure he'd be sore tomorrow regardless, but he knew it would be a good kind of sore.

Smiling lazily, he leaned in to kiss him again, feeling Billy's hand coming up to rest against his jaw as their lips moved together,

"I love you"

He was blissed out enough that he didn't notice how Billy tensed at his words, or the silence that followed. He just pressed his face into Billy's neck, his nose brushing against the skin there. Eventually Billy sighed, thumbing gently over the skin of Steve's shoulder,

"Go to sleep, princess"

  
-x-

  
When he woke up with his alarm the next morning, the first thing Steve registered was that he was freezing.

The second thing he registered was that he was freezing because he was alone in the bed.

After mooching around for a couple of moments, he came to the conclusion that Billy was definitely not there. Judging from the total quiet of the house too, he guessed he probably wasn't loitering around in the kitchen or somewhere either. It was fine though, he knew the fact that he'd said his dad was out of town for the night didn't mean he wouldn't be back early this morning, plus he probably had to pick Max up before he brought her to school.

All in all, he wasn't too concerned.

Dragging himself up out of bed after a couple of minutes, he trudged into the shower, simply standing under the spray for a few minutes as the hot water soothed his sore muscles. It was definitely a good kind of sore though.

Last night had been.. well, incredible really, and he was glad that the first time he'd let a boy fuck him hadn't been a one night stand or anything, that it was with someone he cared about. Someone he loved.

He knew it probably should've scared him a little, how fast and how easily he'd fallen for Billy - considering all of their history together - but he just.. he was happy. Billy made him happy.

Once he'd gotten out of the shower, it didn't take him long to finish getting ready for school, and he drove himself there once he'd grabbed a quite bite of toast for breakfast.

He was pulling his books out of his locker, absentmindedly whistling some song that had been playing on the radio while he'd been driving in, when he was approached by Robin, "You're chipper this morning"

"Its a good morning, what about it?"

"Alright, there's definitely something up. What gives?"

"Nothing, just.. Billy stayed over last night" He said with a shrug and a slight grin. Okay, so not technically true, but he'd been there when he'd fallen asleep, so he was counting it.

Robin's eyebrows just shot up to her hairline, before a grin spread over her face, "Oh shit, are you finally getting dicked down?"

He just gave her a grin as he shut his locker, leaning against it once he had. She didn't miss what he actually meant though, and she laughed as she folded her arms, "Holy shit, was he good?"

"You have no idea"

She just laughed again, reaching over to playfully slap a hand down on his shoulder, "Well, I'm proud. Now do I have to read him the riot act? Tell him how to treat a lady like you right?"

He laughed and rolled his eyes, playfully checking her with his shoulder as they walked. He noticed Billy at his own locker at they rounded the corner though, and he glanced down at Robin to see her looking up at him with a raised eyebrow, "Go on, I'll wait here for ya" She told him, leaning back against the wall with her arms folded,

"I'll be two minutes"

He approached Billy, smiling a little as he reached out to gently knock the back of his hand against his hip, "Hey, you"

Billy reeled around to face him, surprise written on his face for a moment before something in his eyes closed off,

"Back off, Harrington" He snarled as he slammed his locker.

"Wh-"

Before he even got to finish his question, Billy roughly shoulder checked him as he passed. In his surprise, he completely forgot to plant his feet and ended up sprawled on his back on the ground, wincing for a moment when his head had knocked off the ground.

It was testament to Billy's obviously foul mood that he didn't even give him shit for not planting his feet like he was always telling him to, and instead he just looked back at him on the ground. There was something in his eyes that made Steve feel like he wanted to help him up, that he wanted to apologise. He did neither of those things though, and instead just stalked off.

Robin crouched beside him after a minute, dragging him up to his feet, "Get up, people are looking" She told him, and sure enough there were a few people scattered that were trying to disguise the fact that they'd just been watching what had gone down.

They somehow ended up outside, and they sat up on one of the picnic benches together, Robin shoving her hands in her pockets, "What the hell was that about?"

"I.. I don't know"

He attempted to light a cigarette with shaky hands, before sighing and flicking it away when he couldn't get the light to catch. Goddamn shitty lighter.

"I thought you two had a good time last night?"

"We did! Or I thought we did anyway"

He ran his fingers through his hair, his fingers catching in the strands as he thought about what could've gone so wrong between last night and this morning. Maybe Billy's dad had been on his case again about staying out, although he'd never taken it out on him before. Or maybe.. ah, shit.

"I think I fucked up"

"What did you do?"

"I told him I loved him"

Robin just looked at him, and he hated that he could see the poorly disguised pity in her eyes, "Do you love him?" She asked.

He just nodded, focusing his attention on a woodlice that was crawling on the ground in front of them rather than looking up at her. He couldn't stand to see the pity in her eyes, to know she felt sorry for him.

Thinking back on last night though, Billy hadn't said it back. He hadn't exactly gotten up and left as soon as Steve had said it, but he certainly hadn't said it back.

Burying his face in his hands, he groaned, "What the hell have I done?" He asked, his voice slightly muffled by the hands over his face. He'd finally found something worth keeping and he'd screwed it up,

"What am I gonna do?" He asked, before glancing back at the school when the bell rang, signalling the start of first period,

"Well right now, you're gonna get to class. Think on it, at least that gives you a little time to process it all" She told him, and he just nodded. Okay, that much was true.

He knew for a fact that he wasn't all there for the rest of the day, his mind was too occupied with thoughts of what he was going to do about this whole situation. He'd been called out on it more than once by his teachers about not paying attention.

By the time school finally ended, he figured the least he could do was talk to Billy about it.

So he rushed out of his last class, making a quick stop at his locker before he went out to the car park. Thankfully the Camaro was still there, and Billy was nowhere in sight yet. So he just zipped up his windbreaker, shoving his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the hood of the car. He had a pit in his stomach, at the thoughts of what Billy was going to say when he confronted him. Not that he wanted a fight, he just.. he wanted to know what the hell was going on.

Eventually Billy approached the car, and he sighed as he saw Steve sitting on the hood, "Thought you might've gotten the message earlier?"

"Billy, what the hell was that?"

Billy sighed, pulling out his lighter and a crumpled packet of smokes. Steve couldn't help but notice the six feet of distance between them.

His silence was starting to get to Steve, and he sighed and dragged a hand through his hair in frustration, "Billy, talk to me. I.. I thought-"

"What did you think?"

"What br-"

"No, tell me.. what did you think?"

He just looked at him, helpless to do anything except shrug. He just.. he had no idea what had brought this on, what had turned Billy's mood so vicious. Still, he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere unless they actually talked to each other,

"I thought you loved me too, okay?"

He couldn't help the jab of hurt he felt when Billy laughed, sharp and loud, "Did you now?" He asked, his face bright with amusement. It wasn't the same soft look he'd worn the last few weeks when Steve would make a stupid joke, or when he would press an over-exaggerated kiss to his cheek. Now, he looked like he used to when he would pick on Steve, Tommy like a stupid little lapdog at his side.

"Well if you didn't, then what was the last few weeks about then?"

"I'll tell you what it was about.. Tommy and Chris didn't really think that my game was as good as I claimed it was, thought I'd have to just prove them wrong. Told them I bet that if I tried hard enough I could even get King Steve to spread his legs for me"

"Stop it.."

"And not only that.. I went one step further, and got him to fall in love with me too"

"I fucking said stop it" He snapped, trying his best not to let the hurt that was bubbling up in his throat show in his voice. Honestly? He was a little heartbroken. He'd thought things were actually good between them, that Billy's feelings for him were genuine.

"Billy, c'mon.. that's not all it was. I mean, we were happy, weren't we? I know you were happy"

"You don't actually know a thing about me, really"

Steve was at a loss for words. If Billy meant all that he was saying here, then he was a hell of an actor. He just, he didn't get it. He didn't get why Billy would go through all the trouble of writing the notes and waiting it out for weeks, if it was all just to prove to Tommy that he had game.

"Billy.. I- how could you do that to me?"

"It was pretty easy actually, especially when you actually fell for it. Guess you really are that stupid"

Okay, and that one hurt. Billy knew that he was insecure about that.. that as much as he told himself he wasn't dumb, his grades and all his college applications so far had said otherwise. He'd always been good to him before, told him that even if he wasn't book smart, that he certainly wasn't stupid. So of course it hurt a little to hear him say otherwise.

He was itching to close the distance between them and smack the grin right off of Billy's face, but he just.. he knew he'd never forgive himself if he did. As much as Billy had obviously lied to him, he was pretty sure the parts about his dad hadn't been a lie - he'd seen the evidence himself, seen Billy's shaking hands when he'd tried patching himself up at the quarry that time. So he just.. he wouldn't let himself hit him, as badly as he wanted to.

"Go fuck yourself, and don't ever fuckin' speak to me again"

He turned on his heel after he'd spoken, walking back to his own car as quickly as he could. He didn't linger once he got to the car, his fingers clenching the steering wheel as he pulled out of the parking lot.

With any luck, Billy would still be standing there, and it would totally look like an accident if he just happened to run him over. When he passed by where the Camaro had been parked though, he found the space empty. Shame.

  
-x-

  
He managed to keep himself together while he drove home - thankfully it wasn't that long a drive from the school to Loch Nora - and he got as far as his own driveway before he let himself fall apart.

Resting his head against the steering wheel, he buried his face in his hands as he let the tears fall. It wasn't fair. He'd been happy, he and Billy had been good together, and what was he supposed to do now that he knew none of it had been real? He felt pathetic really, sitting in his car crying his eyes out, when he knew that Billy probably didn't even give a shit.

He just.. he wanted his mom.

He knew she wasn't exactly around much, but she was still his mom, she knew how to comfort him like nobody else did and that was really what he could use right now. The problem was that she was never around, and he didn't even know when they would be home next.

So that was how he found himself outside the Byers' house, arms around himself after he'd knocked on the door while he waited for someone to answer. He just hoped like hell that it was Joyce that answered and not one of the boys - he didn't exactly feel like explaining why he'd shown up here unexpected with a tear stained face.

It seemed someone was looking out for him though, because the door opened after a moment to reveal Joyce behind it, and she smiled for a moment when she saw him before it dropped once she noticed the look on his face, "Steve.. honey, what happened?"

"Hey, Joyce.. um, can- can I come in?"

"Of course, sweetie" She told him, ushering him in the door. She sat him down once she had brought him inside, sitting opposite him on the coffee table, "What happened?"

"Oh nothing, I just got brutally dumped.. again"

She sighed, rubbing his arm gently in that motherly way, and he had a feeling that she was waiting for him to continue,

"I just.. I thought we had something good, and I guess it doesn't even count as me being dumped because he didn't actually break up with me; he just admitted that none of it had been real, that he only dated me as part of some stupid bet, and he was just.. he was so nasty about it. And I just needed to talk to someone that wouldn't say 'I told you so', but everyone who knew about it told me I was making a mistake by dating Billy Hargrove, that I'd only get hurt in the end. And my mom isn't here and I don't know when she'll be back, and-"

He hadn't realised that he was crying again until Joyce leaned forward to pull him into a hug, and he just buried his face against her shoulder as he cried,

"Steve, sweetie. I'm pretty sure I can think of everyone who knows about this, and I know none of them would tell you 'I told you so' when it's obvious how much you're hurting. I can tell that you loved him, and it's not fair that being in love can hurt so badly sometimes. If he did that to you though, he's not worth your tears"

He knew she was right, that if Billy really hadn't meant any of the time they'd spent together over the last few weeks, then he really wasn't worth his tears. It didn't make it hurt any less though. Sitting back a little, he rubbed his hands over his face in an attempt to dry the tears that had fallen.

"Why are boys so stupid?"

That drew a laugh from Joyce, and she smiled reassuringly as she reached over to squeeze his shoulder, "I don't know, honey. I still ask myself that"

He just smiled back at her, leaning into her hand a little when she reached up to ruffle his hair.

  
-x-

  
By the end of the week, he found himself in the Byers' house again, watching the nerds while they brainstormed on their latest idea for the new D&D campaign.

"Are you sure you don't want us to make a character for you, Steve? I'm pretty sure you could keep up with us"

"I'm good, little man" He told Dustin, giving him a thumbs up before turning his attention back to the magazine he was flicking through.

Things had been a little unsteady over the rest of the week. He'd felt a little better about the whole situation after talking with Joyce, but he just.. he couldn't help the hurt that he felt whenever he thought about what had happened, about what Billy had said. He'd just been so harsh to him, and it just solidified the fact that Steve had obviously meant nothing to him. Thankfully though, Billy had kept his distance. He hadn't gone back to picking on him in the corridor, they were just avoiding each other completely - which was fine by him.

He'd broken the news to the kids though, that he and Billy had split up. He hadn't told them what had actually happened, just that things hadn't worked out and that they had broken up. Thankfully though, none of them had told him 'I told you so', and Dustin had just asked him if he wanted to come over for a movie that night - and that Steve could pick the movie.

He yawned as he continued to flick through the magazine, before looking up when Will shuffled over to him, "Hey, Steve" He mumbled, and Steve reached up to ruffle his hair with a smile, "Hey, kid". He'd always had a soft spot for the Byers kid. He was quiet, a hell of a lot less obnoxious than his friends, and Steve couldn't even begin to imagine the shit he'd gone through - and how strong he must be to not fall apart because of it.

"Can uh.. can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked, and Steve nodded, pushing himself up to his feet, "Yeah, sure. We're gonna grab some air, guys" He told the others, although they were too wrapped up in the campaign to even notice that he'd spoken to them.

Following Will downstairs, the two of them went out to the back yard, and the kid wrapped his arms around himself as he leaned back against the wall of the house,

"Everything alright, kid?" He asked as he stood in front of him, folding his own arms.

"Yeah, just.. you loved Billy, right?"

Steve felt a little like the air had been punched out of him at Will's question, although he just nodded stiffly, biting his lower lip, "Yeah, I guess I did. Why?"

"How did you know?"

"How did I know I loved him?"

"How did you know you were into boys at all?"

Oh. He supposed he wasn't all too surprised that this was what Will wanted to ask him, he'd had his suspicions about the kid but he'd told himself he'd wait until Will came to him, if it was something he wanted to talk about.

Shrugging, he ran a hand through his hair, "I uh.. I don't know really. I guess I always kinda knew, but it wasn't until Robin came out to me that I let myself feel that way, if that makes any sense? Like, that it was okay to feel that way"

Will was quiet, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the ground, refusing to meet Steve's eyes.

"Will, it's okay to feel that way. If that's what you're worried about.. it's okay, there's nothing wrong with it"

"I think.. I think I do"

He smiled a little, moving around to stand next to the kid and knocking their shoulders together, "Is this about anyone in particular?"

"No, I just.. I had to talk to someone about it"

"Well I'm proud of you, and I'm glad that you decided to talk to me about it. The other kids won't mind in the slightest. You're their friend, and I know they were surprised when I told them about me, but I'm pretty sure they couldn't care less anymore. Boys suck, and I'm sure you'll get your heart broken more than once, but you'll find someone that makes you happy, alright?" He said with a smile as he wrapped an arm around Will's shoulders. He tried to tell himself that too, tried not to think of how he would be twenty soon enough and that he still hadn't found that person - or, he thought he had, but anyway.

Will just smiled, knocking his head gently against his shoulder for a moment, "Yeah.. so will you, Steve"

  
-x-

  
Eventually Steve was rounding up the kids, insisting that they had to get going or else their moms would kill him for letting them stay out so late. He was driving Lucas and Dustin home, Mike was staying the night here, and Hopper was picking up Max and El. He hadn't asked why Max was staying over at El's, why Billy wasn't picking her up, but he just.. he didn't want to know. He didn't want her to have to tell him that he was out with some girl tonight or whatever.

It took longer than he'd expected for them to get their shit together - although he supposed he probably should've expected that - but eventually they were ready to go. He was just at the door, saying goodbye to Will while the other two ran on ahead, when Jonathan appeared at the door,

"Uh, hey.. Steve?"

"Hey, man"

"Look, my mom never really said what happened, but she did say that you were going through a bit of a shitty time right now, that you could use a friend that wasn't fifteen. So uh.. when you're finished dropping them two home, we could go grab a burger or something?" He suggested with a shrug.

Steve smiled a little, biting his lip gently. Just.. he made a mental note to buy Joyce a bunch of flowers or something, to say thank you for looking out for him. He and Jonathan weren't exactly close, but he appreciated that he was offering anyway. They'd been on pretty bad terms before, with him breaking Jonathan's camera and then the other boy beating him up, but they'd cleared the air since then.

"Yeah, that'd be cool"

So he dropped Dustin and Lucas home, making sure they both got in safe before he drove back to the Byers' to pick up Jonathan. Once he'd done that, they just drove out to a diner not too far from there, the two of them sliding into a booth opposite each other.

"I know this is probably a little weird. I mean, I know we don't exactly hang out"

"Maybe we should"

Jonathan looked up at Steve when he spoke, giving the older boy a smile, "Yeah, I guess"

"I know we weren't on the best of terms, but I was an asshole and I'm not like that anymore. I'm happy that you and Nancy found something in each other.. hold onto that" He told him, picking at a chip in the table with a fingernail.

Jonathan just looked at him, biting his lip gently, "It's probably not any of my business.. but is that what's going on?" He asked, looking over at Steve.

It would be so easy to tell him that it wasn't any of his business, to nip this conversation in the bud before it really started. But he just.. he wanted to be on better terms with Jonathan. All of his friends were either kids or girls, so he didn't want to end up pushing the younger boy away,

"It's nothing to do with Nancy, if that's what you're worried about. But you're not totally wrong. I found someone and I fell in love, and it turns out none of it was real; that I was just an idiot who got strung along" He spoke more to the table than to Jonathan, even though he doubted the other boy would judge him or laugh at him or anything,

"It's shitty, but it'll get better"

"Yeah, I know. It just sucks right now"

They both just picked at their food for a few moments after that, before Jonathan kicked Steve lightly under the table. When he looked back up at him, he gave him an encouraging smile,

"Look, Jonathan. When you see Nancy, can you just tell her I'm sorry?"

"For what?"

"We had an argument a while ago, and we haven't really spoken since. She uh.. she tried to warn me about what I was doing, I didn't listen but it turns out she was right. So just.. I need her to know I'm sorry"

"Yeah, course"

They finished their burgers in a mostly comfortable silence, just chatting about school or the kids, and eventually they decided to head home. When they walked outside though, a whistle caught their attention, and Steve rolled his eyes when he noticed that it was Tommy trying to catch their attention. He was with four other boys - none of whose names Steve knew - and Carol of course, "What d'you want, Tommy?" He asked as they approached him and Jonathan, the younger boy going quiet beside him,

"Well isn't this sweet.. you two freaks on a date?" He asked, and Steve rolled his eyes again,

"Leave it, Tommy"

"No, it's cute. The Wheeler girl dump your ass too, Byers?" He asked again, and Steve just took a half step in front of Jonathan. He wasn't getting into this, and he certainly wasn't about to let Tommy rile up Jonathan either.

"I mean it, fuck off"

"Oh, come on. You don't need to crawl back to this freak just 'cause you're not Hargrove's pet anymore"

And okay, that one struck a nerve. He knew it would come back to bite him in the ass eventually, that sooner or later Tommy would start trying to get jabs in over that. He didn't doubt that Billy would probably have told him everything by now - how it hadn't really taken any effort at all on Billy's behalf to get Steve to fall into bed with him, how he'd confessed that he loved him. It was still pretty shitty though.

"So what exactly did happen there? He turn you down?" He asked with a mock sympathetic look on his face, and Steve had had enough.

He hadn't exactly thought about it, but his fist was flying before he knew it, and he caught Tommy across the jaw. Shit. He'd told himself that he was done fighting, that he wasn't going to get sucked back into this, but he just.. he couldn't listen to this right now. It didn't take Tommy long to come back from it though, and he swung a punch of his own at Steve.

Before he knew it, the two of them were grappling on the ground, Tommy pinned underneath Steve - although that didn't exactly put him at a disadvantage. He knew that Tommy knew how to fight.

"Steve, stop! Leave it" Jonathan tried to tell him, although he stumbled back when Tommy lashed out with his foot from underneath Steve and caught him in the knee. Steve could taste blood in his mouth from his obviously split lip, and his scalp by his temple was throbbing where Tommy had pulled viciously on his hair, but he just.. he was so mad.

Eventually they heard the wail of the police car pulling up, seemed the owner of the diner had called the cops on them when he'd caught sight of them fighting outside, one of Tommy's friends shoved Steve off of him, pulling the other boy out from underneath him. By the time Hopper was out of the car and over to them, Tommy and his friends were long gone.

Heaving out a bone weary sigh, he bent to pull Steve to his feet, "Damnit, Harrington. Thought you were past this shit?" He asked, and Steve pulled his arm out of Hopper's grip. He could tell that he wasn't angry at him, that he was just disappointed, but he just.. that was almost worse.

"I am, he just got under my skin" He told him, taking the can of coke Jonathan had grabbed from the parking lot vending machine while Hopper had helped him up, pressing it to the tender skin of his jaw where Tommy had clocked him.

They sat in silence for a couple of moments, Hopper smoking a cigarette while Steve just sat against the hood of the police car, Jonathan on his left side. Eventually Steve spoke up, looking sheepishly over at Hopper, "If I take you up on your offer, is this gonna affect my application?" He asked.

That seemed to surprise Hopper, since there hadn't really been much talk of it since he'd first told Steve that he'd help him with his application if he decided he wanted to go to the police academy.

"No, kid. Once Hagan doesn't press charges, we can sweep it under the rug, but by the sounds of things; he was the one who started it anyway. So we can forget it happened"

"Okay.. thanks, Chief"

"D'you wanna talk about it? Whatever happened?"

"Not really"

He could tell that Hopper was relieved at his answer. He knew the Chief already had enough on his plate right now though, dealing with trying to control El and her relationship with Mike. He'd walked into Joyce's shop last week, and had found Hopper there looking on the brink of a conniption because the two kids hadn't been keeping the bedroom door open three inches.

"Alright, just.. take care of yourself, kid, alright?"

"Yeah, thanks Hop"

"C'mon, let's get you two home"

  
-x-

  
He was sitting at home when the ball finally dropped.

He wasn't exactly up to much, was sitting over a beer while reruns of M.A.S.H played on the television, although he was only half watching it.

He was more just.. thinking, really. Things had been up and down since he and Billy had broken up. Obviously he'd been upset over what had happened, and his fight with Tommy hadn't exactly been a good thing - the curve of his jaw was still a little tender where Tommy had gotten a good right hook in. But things weren't exactly awful either, he was proud of Will for coming out to him, and he was pretty sure he could consider himself and Jonathan friends now. Even Nancy was a little less frosty towards him ever since he'd asked Jonathan to tell her he was sorry.

He'd also decided to take Hopper up on his offer to get Steve into the police academy. He'd been doing a lot of thinking, and he'd decided that maybe college just wasn't for him, at least he could do some sort of good if he became an officer. Hopper had gotten the paperwork sorted as soon as Steve had told him he wanted to join, and that was that. The closest police academy was in Indianapolis, so he'd have to move down there for the year that he went to the academy, but maybe it would do him some good.

So all in all, he was actually doing okay.

He leaned over the edge of the couch to grab the remote when he heard the familiar purr of the Camaro pulling up outside the house, and he sighed and dropped his head back against the couch, "For fuck's sake" He muttered. Well yeah, he'd know the sound of that engine anywhere.

"I'm just not gonna answer the door, not a lot he can do if I just don't let him in" He told himself with a shrug, folding his arms as he turned back to the television. The ring of the doorbell didn't come though, and neither did the knock on the window that he was half expecting. When he lowered down the sound of the television too, he could hear the car still idling outside, "What the hell" He muttered, flicking back the blinds a little to look out at the car. Just as he thought, the car was still running but it was still very much there.

Letting out a bone weary sigh, he dragged himself to his feet, "Fine, whatever"

Maybe if he just went out and got it over with, Billy would stop taking up space on his driveway.

Pulling on his shoes, he let the door swing shut behind him as he walked down the driveway to the Camaro, "Alright, I don't know what the hell you want, but I- oh, fuck"

He'd expected Billy to be either drunk or just here looking for a fight - or maybe both - but what he certainly hadn't expected was for Billy to be black and blue, his eyes swimming with tears.

"Jesus Christ, what happened?" He asked as he wrenched open the car door, noticing how Billy was holding himself funny even while he sat in the car,

"What d'you think?"

Steve was at a loss for words really. He knew Billy's dad hit him, and that he'd badly beaten him before, but he'd never actually seen him this bad. His nose was busted, the skin around his eyes already turning purple, there was blood matted into his scalp, and he had a deep nasty cut curving around the edge of his chin. As well as that, the way he was holding himself lead Steve to believe that he might have a couple of cracked ribs.

"Jesus.." He breathed again, moving to help Billy out of the car once he'd made a move. Okay so all bad blood aside, he obviously wasn't going to turn Billy away right now.

He lead him into the house, sitting him down on the couch before running up to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit they kept under the sink. When he brought it back down though, Billy was leaning forward with his head in his hands, and even from here Steve could hear the muffled sobs he was trying to hide. God, it just.. it still tugged on his heartstrings.

He sighed as he sat opposite him on the coffee table, giving him a small smile when he raised his head to him, "Alright, you gonna let me have a look at that?" He asked. Thankfully Billy didn't put up an argument, just sat quietly while Steve cleaned out the cut on his chin, examined his scalp to find the source of the bleeding there - which thankfully didn't look to be too bad, it was just one of those small cuts that bled like a motherfucker. After a couple of minutes, he was satisfied that his ribs weren't broken and that the ankle he'd been limping on was sprained at most. It was the cut on his chin that he was most concerned about, but the most he could do was clean it out and put a butterfly bandage on it, tell Billy that he was better off getting it stitched up by an actual doctor, even though he knew he wouldn't.

"Alright, that's about the most I can do" He told him, biting his lip gently as he looked over at Billy, who still looked as though he was trying his best to keep the tears at bay.

"Billy, what happened?"

"It was my dad"

"I know, but.. I've never seen him hurt you this badly before"

"He found out, alright? He found out about us, or what we used to be anyway. I don't know what happened, I think one of the neighbours saw us in town and ratted"

Steve sighed as he sat back, running a hand through his hair. Fuck.. they'd been so careful, or he thought they had anyway. After a moment of silence, Billy buried his face in his hands again, and Steve tried to pretend that he didn't see his shoulders shaking,

"Steve, I'm sorry.. I'm so fucking sorry"

"Don't.."

"I lied, alright? I lied when I said that Tommy and I made a bet, and when I said that none of what we had was real. But when my dad found out about Ryan, he told me that the next time he caught me doing this 'fag shit', that I wasn't the only one who pay for it. That last night we spent together.. when you told me you loved me, it all got too real too fast, and all I could see was him doing that to you too. I couldn't let that happen to you"

"So what, you were protecting me? Don't give me that pathetic bullshit excuse. You got what you wanted from me, and whether or not you actually made that bet with Tommy, you were still just using that as an excuse to get out"

"I know it's pathetic, but it's the truth. You've seen what he's done to me, I couldn't let him do that to you too.. not because of me"

Steve honestly didn't know what he was supposed to believe here. All he knew for sure was that Billy's dad had beaten him again, and that he'd come here looking for comfort. He didn't really know how to take everything else that Billy was telling him,

"I loved you, Billy"

He didn't miss the way the younger boy flinched slightly at the way he used the past tense, but he just.. he didn't know what he was supposed to think anymore,

"Do you still love me?"

"I don't know.. you don't realise how badly you hurt me. It took me so long to get over Nancy, and when I finally did it was because of you, because I thought I'd found something with you that I didn't have with her. I didn't think you'd ever hurt me the way she did, and then you went and did worse"

"That's what I do, I ruin things and I hurt people" Billy mumbled, wiping his eyes with his sleeve again. Steve felt awful for him really, but he just.. he had his guard up, he didn't want to get hurt again.

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed in frustration, "Why are you here, Billy? I mean, you can't think I was gonna just forgive you like that?"

"No, I know that. I just.. I wanted to say I was sorry, and to explain. And to say goodbye, I guess"

"Goodbye?"

"He said he's not gonna uproot our whole family again when it obviously didn't teach me a lesson last time, so he uh.. he just kicked me out instead. Everything he didn't break, I have in the back of my car right now"

"Okay, so-"

"I'm leaving Hawkins. I'm eighteen, there's nothing stopping me"

"Billy, you can't leave"

"Why not? I have no home, I've got no other family here. What the hell reason have I got to stay?"

"What about school, and Max? And.."

The 'what about me' went unsaid as he trailed off, but he was still pretty sure that Billy knew what he meant. He just.. as mad as he still was at Billy for everything he'd done, he didn't know how he was supposed to just let him leave. He knew if the younger boy left Hawkins that he wouldn't look back and then he'd never see him again.

He sighed again, rubbing a hand across his jaw, and he could feel all of the fight drain out of him. He just knew that whatever happened, he couldn't just let Billy walk away.

"Look.. stay here, even just for the night. I have a guest room, and my parents have just gone off again so they won't be back for a while. So just.. please"

Billy looked like he wanted to argue, but he eventually just sighed, nodding his head, "Okay, yeah.."

"Okay"

After a moment, he got up and helped Billy to his feet, walking him upstairs to show him the guest room. He tried not to think of the last time Billy had been here, how he'd carried Steve up the stairs in a fireman's lift, how they hadn't been going to separate rooms that time.

Grabbing a quick change of clothes from his own room, he brought them back in to Billy in the guest room, "Alright, uh.. here's some spare clothes. The bed is made up, and there's towels and everything in the en suite" He told him with a quick nod, putting his hands in his pockets after he'd handed the clothes over,

"Okay, and um.. thanks, Steve"

He just nodded, giving him a sort of half smile. It was nice, he supposed, that he was being somewhat genuine with him here, that he was calling him 'Steve' rather than 'pretty boy' or 'princess', or even just 'Harrington'.

"Yeah, try and get some sleep" He told him before shutting the door behind him as he left, going back to his own room.

He hated the fact that the first time Billy was actually properly staying over, there was a wall between them and that both of them were laying in separate beds trying not to cry.

There was nothing more he could do right now though, he thought as he laid in bed. All he could do was hope Billy was still there in the morning, and try and talk to him then.

  
-x-

  
With a quick glance at the clock beside his bed, Steve wasn't surprised to see that it was nearing two in the morning.

He hadn't been able to settle down, knowing that Billy was right next door and that he was potentially leaving in the morning. He just.. it wasn't fair, why couldn't they catch a break.

Sighing, he decided what he hell did he have to lose, and dragged himself up out of bed. He quickly crossed the landing to the guest room in the darkness, quietly letting himself in. The lights were off, but he could see how Billy looked back over his shoulder at Steve. Seemed he hadn't been getting any sleep either.

Thankfully he didn't say anything though, and both boys were quiet as Steve slid into the bed next to him. He wasn't sure he'd even be welcome here, but he was taking it as a good sign that Billy turned around to face him as he settled down, rather than lying with his back to him.

They both remained silent though, and if Steve hesitantly reached out under the covers and laced his fingertips through Billy's, then neither of them mentioned that either.

  
-x-

  
When he next woke up, it took him a second to realise where he was. That was right, he'd gone over to Billy and slept next to him in the guest room last night. Speaking of Billy though, the younger boy was nowhere to be seen.

That sick feeling of panic hit him for a moment, before he caught he scent of coffee wafting up from downstairs, and he assumed - no, hoped - that Billy was still downstairs and hadn't skipped out on him yet.

As he trudged downstairs, he craned his neck over the banister and caught sight of Billy out on the back step. He was wearing the soft blue sweater that Steve had given him last night, a cup of coffee on the step beside him, and he was idly petting the stray cat that sometimes stopped by the garden in the mornings - he'd sort of gotten attached once he started feeding her, so he just referred to her as 'Kitty'.

Billy still hadn't noticed him by the time he walked into the kitchen, he was holding his coffee in his lap now as he stretched his other hand out to Kitty, making soft 'tsk tsk' noises as he tried to entice her back over to him.

He just.. as he watched the younger boy, he couldn't help but admit to himself that he still loved him. Billy had fucked up, and he wasn't totally sure that he forgave him for that yet, but there was no denying how much he still loved him, despite everything.

"Hey"

Billy turned back to him, startled, once he'd called to him, "Hey.. uh, there was a cat"

"Yeah, she's a stray. I just call her Kitty" He said with a shrug as he sat next to Billy on the step, wrapping his arms around his knees. Billy looked a little worse for wear, he had to admit, the bruises around his eyes had deepened to a harsh purple colour, and the skin around the cut on his chin was starting to bruise too. Still, he didn't have that hopeless look about him that he'd been wearing last night.

"D'you want another cup?" He asked, indicating to Billy's empty cup as he stood. The younger boy nodded, passing the cup up to Steve as he went back inside. Standing against the counter, he heard the back door shutting as Billy came back inside.

"Have you decided what you're going to do yet?" He asked, spinning around to face Billy, who looked a little startled again at his question. It was probably a little early to be getting right into it, but he just.. he needed to know.

"I don't know.. but Steve, I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do here. He kicked me out, I have nowhere to go"

"Stay here"

"I can't ask that of you"

"You're not, I'm offering. I'm leaving Hawkins too once school is over, I'm moving to Indianapolis for the year to go to the police academy.. you could come with me, and just stay here until we leave, my parents are never here anyway so it doesn't make a difference. Just.. don't go"

Billy just looked at him, looking a little taken aback by how desperately Steve wanted him to stay. Steve just, all he knew was that he couldn't let Billy go - he knew he'd never see him again if he let him leave, and that wasn't something he could live with,

"Why the hell would you want me to stay? I've been nothing but shitty to you.. I've hurt you and strung you along, and you deserve better than that"

"Because I still love you, alright? Yeah, you've hurt me, but you're not a bad person. You're a good person, and I'm still so in love with you, and I can't let you leave without having you know that"

Billy just looked at him, his eyebrows raised and a slightly disbelieving look on his face. Honestly, Steve was a little embarrassed, but it was time he put all his cards on the table. He wasn't sure really what Billy thought of his outburst, or if the other boy even did return his love at all, but he'd seemed hurt last night at the thought that Steve had fallen out of love with him, so he just.. he had to tell him.

After a couple of moments of silence, Steve folded his arms, embarrassed as he looked down at the floor, "Can you say something?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Steve's head jerked back up at that, seeing the uncertainly on Billy's face, and all of a sudden he was brought back to that first night at the party - where they'd gotten high together and Billy had asked to kiss him. Thinking back on it, he wondered if he would've said yes that night if he had known how much hurt Billy was going to bring him. If he was being honest with himself though, he probably would - because sure, Billy had hurt him, but he'd made him so damn happy too. So yeah, he probably would've still said yes, and it was why he was saying yes again now.

He just nodded, giving Billy a slightly unsure smile as he crossed to the kitchen to him. Once Billy had reached him, he wound his arms around the younger boy's neck, leaning down to accept the kiss Billy pressed to his lips. This was all he'd wanted, to just be able to hold the other boy again, to feel the love that he was pouring into the kiss.

"I'm so sorry" Billy mumbled against his lips, his own arms tight around Steve's back,

"I know"

"I love you too, Steve"

Steve pulled back a little at that to look down at Billy, seeing nothing but genuine honesty on his face. He gave him a small smile as he moved his arms back to just cup his face in his hands instead, gently brushing his thumbs against his cheekbones - careful of the bruises and cuts - before he leaned down to press another kiss to his lips.

  
-x-

  
By the time Monday morning came, Steve had gotten himself into the heights of anxiety again.

Billy had been staying at his for the rest of the weekend, and honestly? He couldn't have been happier waking up with Billy next to him, like he'd wanted for so damn long. He'd called Dustin and asked him to radio Max, just to let her know that Billy was fine, that he was staying with him, and that he would still pick her up for school on Monday.

So Billy had left earlier on that morning, promising Steve before he left that he wouldn't pick a fight with Neil when he got there, that he'd just wait outside in his car for Max to come out.

So now he was just hanging around the corridor at school with Robin, waiting to catch sight of Billy. He'd told himself that if there was no sign of either him or Max by the time the bell rang, he was skipping first period and driving straight over to Neil Hargrove's house to get them himself. He wasn't about to let Neil still make Billy's life hell, when he didn't even live there anymore. As awful as it was, Steve had a feeling that Neil kicking Billy out of the house was probably the best thing he could've done for him. Meant he could finally get out of there, that he didn't have to be walking on eggshells in his own home anymore.

He was rummaging through his locker, looking for a pen he'd dropped in there last Friday, when Robin elbowed him in the side, "Ten o'clock" She muttered, nodding in the direction she meant. He'd told her what had happened during the weekend, that Billy had come over and admitted what had really happened, and that they had made up. Thankfully, she hadn't made a big deal, just nodded and said she was glad that they had made up.

He glanced in the direction she'd indicated, seeing Billy scratching a hand over his scalp as he approached them, Max heading off in the other direction. He wasn't sure exactly what sort of mood he was to expect from Billy this morning - all he knew was that if he went back to being a hard ass, Steve wasn't sure he could handle it. If they just ignored each other for the rest of school, he could deal with that, but he couldn't deal with Billy being nasty to him just for other people's benefit.

So when Billy pushed him back so that his back was pressed against the locker, he was gearing up to shove him back and tell him to fuck off - and mean it too. What he wasn't expecting was for Billy's hold to turn gentle, or for him to lean forward and press their lips together in a firm kiss.

In his surprise, he simply didn't react for a moment, before he brought his own hands up to cup Billy's face in his hands, kissing him back.

When Billy pulled back, he wore a grin that anyone else would probably consider confident - but Steve could tell that it was a little unsure. He still had his arms around Steve's waist too, "Good morning"

"Uh.. good morning" Steve answered just as the bell rang.

Pressing another quick kiss to his lips, Billy finally let go of him, throwing a wink back over his shoulder at Steve as he walked off, "See you at practice, pretty boy"

Steve wasn't exactly surprised to see that people were watching, Tommy was standing over at another row of lockers, looking like he was trying to catch flies with his jaw hanging open. He found that he didn't mind though, that if Billy was okay with people knowing that they were dating, then he was more than okay with it too.

When he looked back at Robin, he was pretty sure he'd never seen her look more smug, and he smiled and rolled his eyes, "Whatever, shut up" He said with a grin, throwing an arm around her shoulders as they walked off to class.

Surprisingly, nothing went horrifically wrong over the rest of the day. After that pleasant surprise this morning, he was expecting everything to fall to pieces - because that was just how things seemed to go lately - but everything was fine. He even passed a pop quiz that he was sure on Friday that he'd failed.

Eventually, he headed over to the gym for basketball practice, and he smiled as he caught Billy's eye while he changed. The atmosphere in the locker room was odd, he knew that most of the other guys here had seen that little display that Billy had put on for them earlier - or if they hadn't, he didn't doubt that Tommy had probably told them. Speaking of which, he could see Tommy giving them both the stink-eye, but thankfully he didn't say anything.

When they were eventually ready to head out to the court, Billy caught his wrist from where he was sitting on the bench as he passed him, pulling him down onto his lap while the other boys went on ahead,

"How was the rest of your day?" He asked, arms around Steve's waist as he looked up at him.

Steve just smiled and shrugged, looping his own arms around Billy's neck. He was straddling Billy's lap, a knee on either side of Billy's thighs, "It was fine, pretty sure we've been the talk of the school though" He said with a grin, leaning down to kiss Billy.

They just continued to kiss until Steve heard someone clearing their throat behind them, and Steve nearly toppled off Billy's lap in an attempt to put a decent distance between them. When he looked around, the coach was leaning against the doorframe with an amused look on his face, "Come on, boys. Keep it PG" He told them, laughing when Steve blushed beet red. Billy didn't seem to care at all though, an arm still looped around Steve's waist.

Steve looked down at the younger boy once the coach had left, the two of them bursting into laughter. Eventually they calmed down though, and Billy stood and took Steve's hand, pulling him to his feet, "Come on.. if your team wins, I'll make it worth your while tonight"

"Oh, you're on, Hargrove" Steve replied with a grin of his own, following Billy out to the court.

  
-x-

  
**Six months later;**

Steve sighed as he dumped the last box on the counter, dusting his hands off on his jeans once he had. Finally, they'd gotten the last of the boxes into the apartment. Now they just had to worry about unpacking the damn things.

"You gonna help me at all?"

"I'm busy"

He smiled and rolled his eyes as he looked over at Billy, who was half watching the television that they'd already gotten unboxed and set up. The rest of his attention was focused on Kitty, who was winding herself around Billy's legs, bumping her head against his hand whenever he crouched to pet her. The younger boy had certainly gotten attached after that first morning he'd seen her in Steve's house, and had begged him to let him bring her with them when they moved down to Indianapolis. She was a stray, so he hadn't seen any reason not to.

"I can see that, but the sooner we unpack everything, the sooner we can chill" He said as he started unpacking dishes from the box he'd just brought in, shoving them into the cupboards above the counter.

He was glad that they had finally moved, that they had decided to get the hell out of Hawkins together. It wasn't forever, they'd only be here for a year or so while Steve went to the police academy and then they'd be moving back - mostly because Hopper had told him that there'd be a job waiting for him once he got back. He knew Billy still wasn't sure yet what he wanted to do now that they were finished school, but he was only nineteen, he'd have plenty of time to figure it out. Besides, he was smart as hell; Steve was pretty sure he would get into any college that he applied for. He just hadn't done so yet, since he was trying to deal with everything that had been going on. For now though, he was just going to work at a local garage while they were here.

He was pretty sure that Billy wouldn't mind going back to Hawkins though, now that he had a reason to keep him there. He and Max were on better terms, and he and Steve were happy. Now that he didn't live under Neil's roof anymore; he hadn't wanted to keep his and Steve's relationship a secret. He had no reservations about holding Steve's hand in public, about pressing kisses to his cheek in front of their friends. It was nice really, Steve had hated the secrecy from before, back when they could only hang out together at the quarry or at Steve's house, or they'd have to drive out of town. It was nice now that it didn't matter who knew about them. They had decided too that once they went back to Hawkins, that they'd look for a place of their own, rather than Steve moving back in with his parents.

He was going to miss the kids obviously - although he supposed they were hardly kids anymore, they'd be turning sixteen soon enough and half of them were taller than him by now - but he'd promised them that he'd be home before they knew it. Dustin and Will had seemed the most upset about them leaving, Lucas had been mostly indifferent, and he was pretty sure Mike couldn't have given less of a shit. Still, the drive from Hawkins from Indianapolis wasn't that far, they could come up and see the new apartment if they really wanted.

He yawned as he put some glasses up in the cupboards, before smiling when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist from behind, "Oh, you're finally gonna help me?" He asked, turning around in Billy's arms.

"No, thought I'd distract you instead"

"That so?"

"Yeah, you're being boring as hell.. you're more fun when you pay attention to me"

He laughed, running his fingers through Billy's short hair. He'd cut it shortly before they had moved, and Steve had to admit that the shorter cut actually suited him. He seemed lighter too, happier now that he was away from Neil and his abuse.

"Come on, dance with me" Billy told him as the song on the radio changed, and of course it was 'Hot Blooded' by Foreigner. Steve smiled and let Billy drag him away from the counter, linking their fingers together as Billy started to sway to the music,

"I'm hot blooded, check it and see-" Billy sang with a grin as he playfully twirled Steve.

"-I got a fever of one hundred and three" Steve responded with a grin of his own, looping his arms around Billy's waist and pulling him close. They simply swayed together after a few moments after that, Billy humming along to the song while Steve just smiled at him,

"I love you"

"I love you too, pretty boy"

Rolling his eyes, Steve smiled as he ducked his head to press a quick kiss to his lips. he wasn't really sure where they would end up in a years time, but for right now? Things weren't all smooth sailing; Billy still got into his moods, and Steve still woke up screaming sometimes.. but they had each other, they loved each other, and they were happy.

That was enough.


End file.
